NINE apprentices have narrowly missed out on being named apprentice team of the year.

The team from Derwent Training Association in Malton, drawn from five businesses in the area, were taking part in the nationwide Brathay Apprentice Challenge, supported by the National Apprenticeship Service.

The challenge involves a five-month series of contests in which the teams spread the word about apprenticeships and visit schools, careers fairs and youth groups.

The total of eight national finalists were then selected from the 75 teams who enter for a national final in Cumbria last week.

Derwent Training Association were beaten to the title by JCB in third, Nottingham City Homes in second and winners GSK.

Teams from IBM, Redrow Homes, Severn Trent Water and WSP also competed in the National Finals.

Jordan Layne, a mechanical engineering apprentice from Portakabin in York, said: “We’re ecstatic to have moved from seventh in the competition before the finals to fifth overall.

“It’s been a fantastic achievement for he everyone on the team.

“We’ve built friendship between the team and gained more confidence to work both by ourselves and in a

group.”

The team won the so-called Whaler Time Trail element, which involved the apprentices racing across Lake Windermere for over an hour, earning time bonus points along the way by solving challenges.

The team prepared for the race by developing multiple plans depending on conditions and currents in the Lake.

Bob Watmore, training and assessment manager, from Derwent Training Association, congratulated the apprentices and said: “I’m so proud that a team drawn from five different employers in our Yorkshire region competed so well against the biggest organisations in the country.

“It’s been a pleasure to see how the team developed and seeing how the skills they have learned through the Challenge are already benefitting their employers.”

In the Brathay Apprentice Challenge 2017, teams reached over 70,000 young people to raise awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships and recruited over 500 new employers interested in offering apprenticeships.

Sue Husband, director of the National Apprenticeship Service, said: “Congratulations to all of the teams that have taken part in this year’s Challenge.

“Together they have shown the genuine difference an apprenticeship can make.

“The new skills and the new experiences these

apprentices have gained in the Challenge will add to the opportunity apprenticeships provide to earn while you learn, as well as helping the employer grow and increase its productivity.

“They are great ambassadors for apprenticeships.”

Godfrey Owen, chief executive of Brathay Trust, added: “All the teams are great examples of how offering an enhanced apprenticeship experience can benefit both apprentices and their organisations.

“It has been a pleasure to host the Brathay Apprentice Challenge and watch these apprentices develop into outstanding employees.”