Lift Truck and Powered Access Engineering Technician Apprentices Jack Batten, Jack Ducker, Tom Broadhead, Dan Allen, and Xavier Graham have been announced as finalists for the ‘Apprentice of the Year’ Archies Awards!

The prestigious UKMHA Archies Awards have been held for over 30 years to honour excellence in the material handling sector.

The awards will be held on Saturday the 14th of September, an evening in celebration of the forward-thinking Material Handling industry, coming together to recognise and acknowledge the brilliant companies, teams and individuals who work tirelessly to innovate and raise standards across the industry.

Jack Batten, Jack Ducker, Tom Broadhead, Dan Allen, and Xavier Graham have been nominated for their continued commitment and high levels of achievement in their Apprenticeships.

Paul Dancer, Director of Commercial Curriculum at SMB College Group, said “We are delighted that five apprentices from the SMB College Group have been nominated for Apprentice of the Year at the UKMHA Archies Awards. We are new to delivering the Fork Lift Truck Engineering Technician standard as a college which we are especially proud of, we are also thrilled for the opportunity with working with some fantastic companies who fully support their apprentices.

We are especially excited for the apprentices and their companies that have been nominated and look forward to the Archies event on the 14th September where the winner will be announced. We wish all of the apprentices who have reached the final stages the very best of luck.”

Apprenticeships give you a great start in your chosen career. They offer a fantastic opportunity to earn while you learn, giving you the skills employers want and a nationally recognised qualification at the same time.

If you’re interested in becoming an Apprentice with SMB College Group, visit our website to discover our current vacancies at https://www.smbcollegegroup.ac.uk/ or contact our friendly Apprenticeships team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.