Follow on Twitter
Email A Friend
Five young engineering apprentices have received a boost to their careers and their finances with $11,000 awarded to them by the Page/Acorn Charitable Trust.
The scholarship scheme is an act made in honour of the late Bob Page who was passionate about helping young people learn a trade.
Bob Page’s wife, Pat, with the 2012 scholarship winners.
This is the third year the scholarships have been made available, following a legacy from the late Bob Page, a highly respected businessman who co-founded Page & Macrae Engineering in 1953.
Receiving $3000 to celebrate the completion of his apprenticeship was Jordan Smith (Boshier Engineering), who is now fully qualified.
Four new apprentices have recently joined the scheme and will receive their first payment in 12 months.
These successful apprentices are: Andre Fikkers (Mouats Engineering), Scott Murray and Stacey Adams (Contract Mechanical Engineering) and Peter Hamilton (Boshier Engineering).
They will each receive $4000 from the Page/Acorn Charitable Trust, upon completion of their apprenticeship.
The conditions of the Page/Acorn Charitable Trust scholarships also allow for a $2000 up-front payment to the engineering firms to help cover the apprentice’s first year course, including setting them up with a toolbox and safety equipment.
The economic downturn has meant that even some of the larger engineering firms have been reluctant to take on new apprentices.
The Page/Acorn Charitable Trust scholarships have been a welcome boost to offset some of the costs involved for both the employer firms and the apprentices they take on.
Overall, $43,000 has now been distributed by this trust since its inception in 2009.
