*We are proud to share that apprentice welder Aaron is the winner of the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board Scholar of the Year!*

A glittering awards ceremony in London isn’t a typical night on the tiles for welding apprentice Aaron.

But the 18-year-old is looking forward to getting suited and booted after being named a national finalist for a top ECITB award.

In the running for the ECITB Scholar of the Year title, Aaron said: “I was happy to even be nominated so I never expected to be a finalist.”

One of just four in his category, the ECI Training and Development Awards highlights the efforts of individuals and training providers within the engineering construction industry.

To be on the list is a proud moment for Aaron, who admits, when leaving school, welding wasn’t on his radar.

It seems like fate lent a hand as the former Thornaby Academy pupil was offered one of just a handful of ECITB-backed welding scholarship places at NETA Training.

A unique opportunity, getting paid to study at 16 proved just the incentive needed to kickstart his passion for the industry.

“I don’t even think I really knew what welding was,” he said looking back. “To get an opportunity like that was incredible.  Since then, it has just been onwards and upwards. It was 100 per cent the right choice for me.”

With three brothers, all in different fields of engineering, Aaron has found his niche as a budding young welder.

Earlier this year he was named winner of The Welding Institute Teesside Branch City and Guilds’ Learner of the Year and has gone on to secure an apprenticeship with Wilton Engineering.

“These opportunities have given me so much more confidence,” said Aaron. “I appreciate how lucky I have been as one thing has led to the next.”

Nominating the young welder for the ECITB national award, NETA’s head of engineering Paul Turnbull said: “Aaron has been inspirational.  When he first came to us, he was a bit unsure what he wanted to do, but we saw potential in him and offered him a place on the scholarship and he has just run with it.

“He engaged with the lessons, worked to high standards and would even help the other students, which is fantastic.  We are so happy to see him named an ECITB finalist and to get industry recognition at this level.”

*Winners were announced at an awards ceremony at the National Science Museum in London.*