Henrikas nominated for ‘Apprentice of Year' award
Henrikas Kuzmenko, a maintenance fitter at Robotics and Drives in Mullingar, is one of the apprentices nominated for a Generation Apprenticeship ‘Apprentice of the Year Awards’ 2024.
Speaking ahead of the event, Henrikas said: “I am deeply honoured to be nominated for this award as I feel like I have been recognised for my hard work and dedication to this apprenticeship and the company.
“The success of the group is much more important than individual success, and the contribution and collaboration of the team has been crucial to me.”
The National Apprenticeship Office has released the names of the apprentices nominated.
Now in its third year, the awards showcase Ireland’s 27,500+ strong community of apprentices for outstanding leadership, teamwork, creativity and problem-solving.
Sixty two apprentices from counties Westmeath, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Louth, Offaly, Meath, and Wicklow will face an independent panel of judges on October 23 at the awards.
As part of the process, nominees shared their stories on ‘The Heroes’ showcase at WorldSkills Ireland, in the RDS, in September.
About the National Apprenticeship Office
The new National Apprenticeship Office is driving reform in the national apprenticeship system under the banner of Generation Apprenticeship. The Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 includes details for a single apprenticeship system and a five-year strategy to deliver on the Programme for Government commitment of reaching 10,000 new apprentice registrations per year by 2025.
Some of the new Generation Apprenticeship initiatives include:
• A Gender-based Bursary available to employers who employ apprentices from a minority gender, across any of the 41 eligible apprenticeships, which aims to drive gender parity in the workplace.
• An Apprenticeship Employer Grant is available to employers across any of the 40 eligible apprenticeships which have been established since 2016 and which do not attract payment of off-the-job training allowances.