David celebrates end of Carpentry and Joinery apprenticeship by winning a top national award

David, 36, celebrated the end of his apprenticeship with College and Ryedale Joinery by being named the winner of the Institute of Carpenters’ Third Year Robert Rampley Memorial Prize for Craftsmanship.

Students from 55 UK colleges were eligible for the award but, just as rewarding for David, is the career direction and satisfaction his apprenticeship provided him following years of moving from one job to another. 

“I came to the apprenticeship later in life,” Scarborough-based David pointed out. “I’d sort of been in the industry a little bit, doing labouring and landscaping, but I really started setting my sights on getting qualified.

“It became a dream of mine, as I went through life, to actually apply myself to something, because I’ve done lots and lots of different things. I was a postman for a while and worked in museums doing technician kind of work. 

“I’ve also played in a lot of bands, been unemployed and done a lot of travelling, which is when I decided the apprenticeship was something I wanted to do and to do whatever it would take to do it to better my life and my family’s life. I was living in Cornwall, but me and my partner wanted to move back up north and I saw the apprenticeship advertised in an area we were willing to move to. 

“Thankfully, I was taken on and given the opportunity and, after doing lots of different things, it’s given me a sense of pride to come away with a trade, as well as a qualification and a certificate that says I can do it, which is worth its weight in gold.”

Having now landed a full-time job with Ryedale Joinery, David is also keeping up a family tradition of tradesmen in the profession that he regards as both creative and rewarding.

“My granddad was a joiner for a lot of his life and I wanted to do something that I enjoy and can make money from,” he explained. “There’s also probably a romantic vision with carpentry and joinery because you’re working with your hands and wood.

“When you start doing it, you soon realise that it’s hard work, but it is rewarding. I like that it’s creative, too, and that you can come up with your own ideas to solve problems.”

David also believes he could not have honed his skills at a better equipped and staffed institution.

“I was buzzing to come to this college because the course that is provided here you won’t find everywhere in terms of the bench joinery side of things,” he declared. “The facilities are great and it’s been a good experience for me – I’ve not got a bad word to say about the place.”

He went on to add that he felt the apprenticeship model represented a method of learning that was most suited to his needs and personality. 

“It’s a really good way of studying because you can learn a totally different aspect of doing things at College than you do at work,” he reasoned. “That was often the reality because what you do at work can be completely different to College, where you can cover different aspects more thoroughly than you might at work because a company usually specialises in what they do and don’t always have the resources to set you on doing something different.

“For example, I did stairs work at work, but the bulk of what I did on that aspect was at College.”

David’s talent on Campus was quickly recognised by his tutor Adrian Salton, who encouraged him to submit an entry for the Institute of Carpenters’ Awards. 

That entailed providing images and descriptions of his completed work, including bespoke doors, windows and pieces of furniture.

He also put together a written profile about himself and his experiences during the Level 3 apprenticeship, with his employers contributing a glowing reference, too.

On winning his prize and being one of only three Highly Commended students for the IOC’s Third Year Awards, David said: “It feels fantastic and was a nice surprise and lovely way to mark the end of my apprenticeship.

“I put a lot of work into the course and with my employers as well, so it’s nice for that to be recognised. It’s good to be able to show my family what I’ve achieved and that award will be with me now wherever I end up going and whatever I end up doing.”

In addition to his winners’ certificate, David received more than £300 in vouchers from Reisser UK, Axminster Tools, IronmongeryDirect and MEDITE SMARTPLY, as well as a £100 bursary from Anthony Rampley and Helen Shaw, whose father Robert left school at 13 to become a joiner and continued working with wood until he passed away until his 70s.

Robert was passionate about the profession and his motto was if a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing well – a mindset the winner of the award named in his honour shares.

“It’s always nice to have a helping hand with tools, because they’re not cheap, so I’ll be spending the vouchers and money wisely and getting some nice gear,” David added.

His full-time job with Ryedale Joinery now sees David entrusted with a lot of replacement work, including bespoke doors and sash windows.

“I can be working on double doors, French doors or sliding doors and Part Q-rated windows or casement windows,” he said. “They can also be curved, bowed or whatever is needed by the customer and we do a lot of complex work down to the millimetre.”   

Geoff Rhodes, President of the Institute of Carpenters, travelled from Essex to make the presentation to David (as pictured in the main image) and, outlining why he was a worthy winner, said: “We get a wide range of candidates from across the country with a judging panel that boasts considerable experience in the industry and what was absolutely clear from David’s entry was that his approach to everything related to wood is exemplary and the quality of his work is first class.”

It was the second successive year a York College apprentice had been recognised by the distinguished body that was established in 1890.

David’s success followed on from Harrison Blackham, who was the winner of the IOC’s overall Third Year Student award, with Mr Rhodes making it clear that such achievements do not happen by accident and are testament to the standard of facilities and teaching available to apprentices at Sim Balk Lane. 

Tutors and members of staff from the Construction Department were also presented with a certificate for the role they played in David’s attainment of such high standards with Mr Rhodes declaring: “Without the tutors’ commitment and dedication to teaching this award would not be being made. 

“York College is well-respected in the sector and exemplary in terms of its leadership, equipment and staff. Being recognised two years running doesn’t happen by magic and it’s all credit to everybody here. 

“It’s down to the commitment, knowledge and expertise of the staff and tutors and keeping up-to-date with new technologies in the workshops and curriculum changes. There’s a great buzz here when you walk through the front door and young people must feel inspired. 

“It’s somewhere I would have liked to have gone and I am very jealous because this apprenticeship route at a college, with the quality of tutors and equipment here at York, just wasn’t available when I left school at 16.”

Mr Rhodes went on to add that, whilst technological advancements might be threatening jobs in other sectors, construction skills will continue to remain in demand.

“Apprentices can acquire craft skills and an enjoyable career pathway, because the construction industry is crying out for skilled people, and great hands that can craft will never be replaced by technology,” he proclaimed. 

York College tutor Adrian Salton, meanwhile, now expects David to become an excellent mentor for apprentices himself – a duty he often fulfilled with his workshop peers.

“Dave showed great leadership, craftmanship and thought in everything he did with us,” Adrian said. “He led by example with some of our younger apprentices and took them under his wing, having come to us later in life after deciding this is the job he wants to do for the rest of his working life.

“You would often see him around the benches explaining to the other apprentices how he had done something and he was very good at finding and demonstrating the correct order in which to do things. He gained experience and then used that knowledge to help others. 

“I think he will go on to make a fantastic mentor for apprentices, as I know he is already doing with our second-year apprentice at Ryedale Joinery, because he likes to help, support and guide people on their journeys.”

Adrian went on to stress that the process for nurturing another apprentice to the point where the IOC are paying another visit to North Yorkshire in 2026 is already underway, with the department’s continued push for excellence having also been recognised by the City & Guilds awarding body.

“We would like to make it a hat-trick next year and we are very proud of the offering that we have got and have developed,” he admitted. “It’s a provision that falls in line with what industry needs and what our awarding organisation City & Guilds demands for the apprentices’ End-Point-Assessments. 

“They are our ultimate goal, but we don’t just focus on the skills needed to get apprentices through an exam – it’s also about producing a well-rounded, third-year bench or architectural joiner who is ready to go into industry and leaves us with the experience to produce varied practical work. We’re constantly building on our provision and have very well-qualified staff with years and years of industry experience, which I think is the key. 

“The feedback we have had from City & Guilds after our last group of eight third-year apprentices passed their exams is that, when they come to York, they expect and see high standards and they have said we are now among the best architectural joinery providers in the country. That’s what we are striving for and, hearing from the Institute of Carpenters and City & Guilds that we are producing high-quality and well-motivated apprentices, makes you want to keep pushing on.”

Debbie Stronach, Director and Company Secretary of Ryedale Joinery, added her congratulations to David and also spoke highly of the role York College plays in helping the Kirby Misperton-based business achieve their apprenticeship goals. 

“Dave is a really unique and fantastic individual who has shown his commitment and determination from the very beginning of his apprenticeship,” she said. “His work is of an outstanding standard and, if anybody deserves the award, it’s him.

“We send all our apprentices to York and the college is really good at keeping you informed with the progress of the students. I think we’ve had about eight now, because we know they will get the educational side from the college and we can give them the practical experience that they need. It’s a case of moulding both together.” 

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