Lewis Bennett has finished his apprenticeship. As a qualified groundworker, he is now set for a successful career.
Lewis works for client Balfour Beatty on the Crossrail Woolwich Box C530 project.
“Well done to Lewis – he is a role model for new apprentices,” said his labour manager Mark Beer. “He is very punctual and never late for work. He takes on board everything he’s been asked to do, and he carries out his duties in a truly professional manner. If isn’t sure about something he will always ask.
“He is particularly impressive on health and safety, which he takes very seriously. If he sees an unsafe act, despite the fact that he has not been on site particularly long, he won’t walk by. Someone else might just leave it, or be afraid to speak up, but Lewis always makes sure the issue is addressed. He’ll either report it, or just quietly tackle it himself.”
When Lewis started with VGC, he wasn’t sure what role he wanted. So part of his apprenticeship involved trying different roles to see which would suit him best. He has now decided that he would like to train as an electrician, and Balfour Beatty is going to arrange for site experience with the electrical team.
Lewis has made a good impression from the first. His foreman emailed Mark Beer early on to say how much potential he has, and he was commended by a Balfour Beatty site manager for a “very good” site briefing. He was also nominated for a Crossrail Apprenticeship Collaboration award in March last year.
For most of his apprenticeship, Lewis has worked alongside groundworker Ionica Badica. “Ionica has taught Lewis a lot and helped him through his apprenticeship,” said Mark Beer. “I’m very proud to have both of them on my team.”