WL Wins Apprentice of the Year at the Merton Business Awards


We are delighted to announce that we have won the Merton Best Business Awards’ Apprentice of the Year after nominating Dominic Devereux.

The Merton Best Business Awards recognise and promote excellence, innovation and best practice in Merton. They have been running for over seven years and feature categories such as Best Employer (which WL won in 2018), Best New Business, Entrepreneur of the Year and Best Apprentice of the Year.

For Best Apprentice of the Year, WL put forward Dominic Devereux who started at the company just over two years ago at the age of 17. WL’s Health & Safety and Workforce Development Director Chris Nicholls comments: “One of the main reasons we initially took Dominic on was his enthusiasm. From the moment he arrived at WL for the Apprentice Open Day, we could see how eager he was to get involved and learn as much as he could; one of the most important attributes we look for in any apprentice”.

Dominic was part of an initial cohort who undertook the first-ever Creative Venue Technician Apprenticeship. Since then, Dominic has completely thrown himself into the company and instantly became ‘one of the team’. Displaying maturity beyond his years, he’s being part of a range of projects during his time here, often during extremely unsociable hours, and has received exceptional feedback for every event he’s worked on.

Chris states: “The projects Dom has worked on include the annual servicing at Westfield, a placement at VAULT Festival, building our stand at the PLASA Show, undertaking a four-week placement at Rose Bruford College as part of a student exchange as well as numerous conferences and awards ceremonies at Central Hall Westminster, where we are the in-house Production Partner. All of these jobs were with important clients and required very different disciplines and specific approaches – all of which Dom has learned and developed during his time here. Our staff have been so impressed by his can-do attitude that he has actually been offered a full-time position within the Technical Service department”.

The Merton Best Business Awards took place on 26th September at the All England Tennis Club, Wimbledon.

Dominic comments: “WL has been very supportive of me as an apprentice, offering insightful training courses as well as practical experience in a wide array of different situations. I really enjoyed the initial rotational schedule which enabled me to work within each of the various departments and offer me great experience, as well as help hone my interests. I now look forward to continuing the next chapter in my career with the company”.

Chris concludes: “We are all extremely proud of Dom and the fact that he’s received this recognition. As a company, we are dedicated to nurturing the next generation and equipping them with the skills and experience needed to succeed. Having already been awarded Employer of the Year at the CC Skills Awards earlier this year, we’re delighted that the wider industry has once again recognised our commitment to apprentices and the value they bring to the sector”.

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