John wins young learner of the year accolade

Arriva North East bus driver and Foundation Modern Apprentice,John Smith, has been named Young Learner of the Year by theLearning and Skills Council. The award recognises young peoplewhose learning has made an exceptional contribution to theirworkplace.

Marjorie Haynes, human resources manager for Arriva North Eastcommented:

We are delighted that John's hard work has beenrecognised. John has used his own training experiences to help usplan how to train other bus drivers in areas such as introducingmore effective monitoring methods for the checks that all driversmust carry out before taking a bus out on service.

John was presented with his award – a certificate and alaptop – at Alton Towers on Thursday 18 March and will now beput forward for national awards to be announced at the Hilton Hotelin London in June 2004.

John spent 12 months studying for his Foundation ModernApprenticeship (FMA) and is now a fully qualified bus driver. Inaddition, John has achieved an NVQ Level 2 in Customer Service andhas improved his key skills in information technology,communication, application of number, working with others, andimproving own learning and performance.

John said:

I am very pleased to receive this award – it isunexpected, but very welcome. I'd recommend the FMA to any youngperson considering a career in bus driving. I found it relativelyeasy to fit my studies in alongside my driving shifts and the extrawork was well worth it. I'm hoping that I will get moreopportunities to continue my learning.

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