A motor technician from Ellon has been crowned Apprentice of the Year by a national automotive manufacturer.
Ryan McFarlane, above, claimed the Commercial Vehicle and Volkswagen Group title after achieving consistently high grades during his three year apprenticeship.
The 21-year-old joined Clark Commercials Volkswagen Van Centre Aberdeen, part of the John Clark Motor Group, in 2010 and completed an intensive training programme to claim the award.
Ryan, who beat more than 250 other students, said: “I have always had a lot of interest in motor mechanics and I feel this added to my enjoyment and made the course seem so much easier. I am very grateful to Clark Commercials Aberdeen and to all my colleagues for supporting me throughout my training.
“I am now setting my sights on my next course and ideally want to work my way up the career ladder.”
Clark Commercials Aberdeen’s service manager, Garry Bruce, said: “Ryan has done us proud and is already proving to be an asset to the team. We are already intending to progress him to his next stage of training.
“We aim to bring young new blood into the industry and therefore feel there needs to be a clear training framework to help nurture and develop the right skills of these individuals. Our latest young apprentice, Andrew Kneeshaw, is already following in Ryan’s footsteps after being awarded 1st Year Volkswagen Commercial Technician Apprentice of the Year. The team is completely delighted with our success.”