Jack Pendle

Said the following about Reece Aspin:

“With over 40 years in the industry, I have seen 100’s of people come and go but I have never seen an apprentice like Reece.

Since becoming aware of this confident, intelligent and hardworking apprentice I have been keen to learn more about him and I was not disappointed. Reece has the ability to show maturity well beyond his years, his skills develop every week and he quickly becomes a very valued member of the company.

As I watched Reece, I soon released that he could become a voice in the industry for apprenticeships and approached the Doncaster Rail conference in 2015 to see if Reece could speak about his time as an apprentice to some key railway influences.

Even for an experienced presenter, an event like this is daunting but not for Reece. He took every minute in his stride. His presentation was expertly created and his ability to engage with a room of over 200 people was incredible to watch, with key dignitaries taking to social media to say how amazing he was on stage. Reece was so well received he was even asked back this year to present again, which he did with the expertise and grace of a seasoned professional.

Reece was also invited to take part in the ground breaking of the National College for High Speed Rail in Doncaster and met Terry Morgan, Chair of the Corporate Board for the National College for High Speed Rail and Beth West, Commercial director for High Speed 2. Both were impressed with Reece’s ability to communicate and to express his eagerness to engage with the college when opened, which they are keen for him to do!

I have no doubt that Reece will develop to be a leading name in the railway industry and I look forward to seeing him develop in years to come“

Andrew Fawkes

Said the following about Reece Aspin:

“I have been Reece’s mentor since he joined VolkerRail in 2013 and it has been an honour to watch him develop into the professional, highly skilled and knowledge engineer he is today.

Throughout his time with the company, I have watched Reece grow. His ability to take everything in his stride is commendable. His communication skills supersede those that have been in the industry for over a decade and his ability to look at a project and suggest new innovate ideas and techniques, to complete the work for the client in the most sufficient way, led him to gain the respect of all those around him.

The team Reece work with believe his knowledge goes above and beyond that of any apprentice they have worked with and have even taken away new ideas and skills that he has brought to the table from his apprenticeship.

Reece is keen to support those also studying engineering apprenticeships and demonstrates a keen interest in helping others. So much so that he is now seen as a mentor in his own right to those who joined VolkerRail’s apprentice scheme in the last few years.

Reece has also impressed Doncaster College to the point that they awarded him the Apprentice of the year award, this year. Reece was nominated by WFD partnership manager, Colin Phelps, who has watched Reece and seen “how highly motivated Reece is” and believes he “demonstrates maturity beyond his years”. Watching Reece receive the award was humbling and made me very proud.

I am without doubt that Reece will become one of the rail industry’s most influential engineers and I look forward to working with him and following his success story for years to come“

Sue Diggles

Said the following about Reece Aspin:

“Reece is a model example of a success story with regards to apprenticeships within the rail industry.

Reece became an Apprentice with VolkerRail in October 2013, through an Advanced Apprenticeship in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Doncaster College. He has completed both an NVQ level 2 and BTEC Level 3 in Electrical and Electronic engineering, receiving the highest grades throughout his apprenticeship.

Whilst studying for this qualification Reece has been actively engaged on placements throughout the company gaining experience in: finance, commercial, work winning and design. He has also gained an insight into all aspects of engineering through working with Signalling, Electrification, M & EE and Plant. The feedback from engineers and managers who have been involved with Reece has been phenomenal, he has excelled in everything he has undertaken.

During his time at Doncaster College Reece has an exemplary record with 100% attendance and punctuality. The reports from his tutors state that he is a highly motivated student who takes full responsibility for his learning and always completes his work to a very high standard. He always meets his targets timely and takes every opportunity to develop his skills and knowledge base. Reece is also keen to support fellow students in practical and theory sessions and has demonstrated a keen interest in promoting both the industry and the value of apprenticeships schemes.

Reece has also impressed Doncaster College, to the point that they awarded him the Apprentice of the year award. Nominated by WFD partnership manager, Colin Phelps, Colin said of Reece: “I nominated Reece for this award because he is a highly motivated student and continually demonstrates maturity beyond his years.”

Reece has been invited twice to present at the Doncaster High Speed conference . Over 300 delegates from the rail industry and local commerce were in attendance. Reece prepared a presentation on the life of an apprentice in VolkerRail and presented faultlessly. In the words of the Chief Executive of Doncaster Council “He was the star of the show”. The Mayor of Doncaster also tweeted that the presentation “moved me to tears”.

Reece is also active in numerous charity-based activities for the company, including, sponsored rugby tournaments and football events, 100km walks for the Blind association, STEM projects to promote railways engineering and safety awareness days for children. His willingness to take part is commendable and he is always striving to go above and beyond to raise awareness for so many worthy causes.

Reece has demonstrated maturity beyond his years and during his time with VolkerRail has been dedicated to achieving his goal of gaining a BTEC Level 3 qualification, and becoming a valued member of the team. We look forward to watching him develop into a professional engineer.“