South Ayrshire Council apprentice Dominic Downie has been named Scotland Apprentice of the Year at the annual Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) Awards.

The heating engineer received recognition in the Service & Maintenance category at an awards ceremony last month.

The BESA awards celebrate the achievements of BESA apprentices and employers from the building services sector in Scotland.

Mr Downie will now represent Scotland at the UK BESA Awards which take place at the beginning of November in London.

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He said: "It felt great to win this award; I've worked hard but never thought I would actually win this, it's just amazing.

"I enjoy working with the Council because every day is different, it's also very rewarding as I feel I'm giving something back to communities when I'm working to maintain facilities like schools and care homes."

Cllr Peter Henderson, Resources and Performance Portfolio Holder for South Ayrshire Council, added: "The Council sets high standards when it comes to meeting the needs of our customers and Dominic has more than exceeded these, he's a shining example of what hard work can achieve.

"The Council is committed to investing in our young people and giving them the opportunities to succeed. Our apprenticeship programme means they can learn practical skills and work towards qualifications at the same time.

"Dominic stands out from the crowd because of his commitment and his desire to keep learning even after 3 years of hard work, I wish him all the best the UK finals."

(CM/LM)