An apprentice from West Suffolk College has won a national carpentry award.
Ryan Fosker, 20, from Hadleigh, near Sudbury, is carving out a career for himself with TMJ Interiors and has been studying on an apprenticeship with West Suffolk College, based in Bury St Edmunds, since 2020.
The college put Ryan’s name forward for a national competition called the Third Year Student Award Scheme, organised by the Institute of Carpenters (IOC), and he was chosen as the overall winner.
Pat Coll and Ryan Fosker from TMJ Interiors, Geoff Rhodes, IOC president, with Brian Tunbridge and Kate Barnham from West Suffolk College at the prizegiving ceremony
Ryan said: “It’s a privilege to be given this accolade. They [TMJ and West Suffolk College] have both treated me like family and they push you to be more than you think you are.”
His prize was the Rainleaf Trophy that was created by Andy Peters, who carved the new figurehead that can be seen at the front of a revamped Cutty Sark ship in Greenwich, £550 worth of vouchers and an IOC certificate. The college also received an IOC certificate, acknowledging its good work.
Geoff Rhodes, president of the IOC, said the competition celebrates ‘the very best of the best’, adding this year the standard was exceptional.
Ryan Fosker from TMJ Interiors receives a certificate from Geoff Rhodes from the Institute of Carpenters as Brian Tunbridge from West Suffolk College proudly looks on
“Ryan stood out through his attitude, his skill of the craft, his appreciation of what he has learnt, and he also received a number of glowing tributes from the people he has worked for and with,” he said.
Brian Tunbridge, a carpentry and joinery lecturer at West Suffolk College, said Ryan getting this award showed the college can compete against any other college in the country in terms of exceptional standards – which helps to re-enforce the college’s recent Ofsted ‘outstanding’ grade.
Ryan’s employer, Pat Coll, from TMJ Interiors, spoke of how proud he was of Ryan and how great it was to work with West Suffolk College.
“Our company started with three people and now we have over 200 and the main success [in terms of our employees] is the philosophy of bringing apprentices through and helping them progress – and we are very proud of that.”
Geoff said due to the real national crisis in terms of construction skills, it was really important for the IOC to build strong relationships with colleges as well as connecting the timber industry and other trade associations into this work.