TWO former Basingstoke College of Technology (BCoT) students were recently named as finalists in the 2018 Southern Manufacturing Apprentice of the Year award.

Calan Kenward and Harrison Farthing both made the shortlist for the outstanding performance they have continuously displayed during their apprenticeships.

Hosted by the Business Magazine and taking place at the Manufacturing Technology Centre at Ansty Park in Coventry, the finalists were given a one-hour tour of the research and technology facilities before eagerly awaiting the announcement of the winner of the award.

The two former BCoT students just missed out to Abbi Fisher of BAE Systems, but were commended by the judges for their strong submissions.

Calan, aged 22, first joined BCoT in 2012 on a Level 2 Automotive course after leaving local secondary school The Clere and soon progressed onto a Level 3 Engineering apprenticeship with manufacturing giants LG Motion.

Meanwhile Harrison, who completed his Level 3 Engineering apprenticeship in June this year, studied his apprenticeship working for AWE, after previously studying engineering full-time at BCoT.

BCoT's dedicated apprenticeship team Aspiral Learning is one of the largest providers of apprenticeships in the region, working with both large and small employers across all industry sectors.

In June 2017, BCoT was ranked within the top 12 per cent of colleges nationally for timely achievement of apprenticeships in the National Achievement Rates tables.