The PepsiCo team was made up of apprentices from Coventry, Leicester and Skelmersdale. They raised over £7,000 for Cancer Research UK and completed a community project which included transforming a pond, allotment and garden at a school in Leicester.
The 8 teams that took part in the challenge raised over £30,000 for eight charities as well as holding school talks and media interviews to explain how Apprenticeships enable young people to earn while they learn in a paid job, gaining recognised qualifications and working towards a prosperous future.
Supported by the National Apprenticeship Service, the Brathay Apprentice Challenge tests non-technical work skills and the personal attributes of competing apprentices.
The final stage, held at Brathay Trust’s headquarters on the banks of Lake Windermere saw PepsiCo narrowly beat QinetiQ into second place, with British Airways and e2v Technologies who finished joint third.
The two-day long adventure finale in Ambleside tested the teams ‘soft skills’ including, problem solving and physical abilities, culminating in a whaler boat race across Lake Windermere that pushed the teams’ strength and teamwork to the limit.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: “I want to congratulate the winners and all of the competitors in the Brathay Apprentice Challenge. “Together they have shown the genuine difference an Apprenticeship can make to give young people the chance to pursue a dream job as well as helping a business grow and increase its productivity.
“It is important that we work together to encourage even more businesses to offer Apprenticeships so we can ensure Britain’s long term success, building a stronger economy and fairer society for this generation and the next.”
Nick Wilson Deputy Director, Skills Funding Agency said: “The competition this year has produced yet another outstanding group of talented and inspiring individuals. Well done to all the finalists that took part in this year’s competition, over 100 teams participated, so to be one of the 8 finalists is a fantastic success.
“However, my congratulations to the nine Apprentices from PepsiCo who have won the 2014 Apprentice Team of the Year, their efforts across the whole competition were amazing and they are deserved winners!”
Team member and engineering apprentice, Sam Kelly, said on winning the Challenge: “It’s difficult to describe just what winning the ‘apprentice team of the year’ title means. The whole team has worked really hard, not only in the last few days but throughout the whole Challenge – and we’ve had huge support from our colleagues, our families and friends.
“We hope that winning the title will aid in our efforts to inspire young people and promote Apprenticeships. Hard work, determination and self-confidence are key in success. We also hope that young people can use our journey as a lesson for themselves.”
