Member Article

HRH The Princess Royal awards outstanding achiever

Sion Netzler, from Darlington, has been recognised for his vocational accomplishments by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and the Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners at Buckingham Palace.

It is the first time that The Princess Royal has presented the awards – which forms part of the annual City & Guilds Prince Philip Medal ceremony – since she took over from her father, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, as President of the City and Guilds of London Institute in June 2011.

City & Guilds was founded by the City of London and 16 Livery Companies in 1878 and has maintained close links with the Livery Companies ever since. Every year, the Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners rewards outstanding City & Guilds learners for their achievements.

Sion was recognised for his efforts in completing Nordic Pioneer’s Urban Blitz apprenticeship programme, which involved training in cleaning activities – such as graffiti removal – and environmental maintenance. This in turn led to him successfully securing full-time employment with Nordic as a team leader for the programme.

Speaking about his success, Sion said: “Nothing like this has ever happened for me before, so it’s come as a shock – but in the end I’ve worked hard for this.

“I feel like things are really happening for me and it’s been a fantastic experience. It feels like everything is coming together.

“Belonging to a company that truly values me is hard to grasp, as I’ve never known anything like it. But I’ve always wanted to help the environment and it’s great to be working for a company that shares the same values.”

Meanwhile, CEO and Director General of City & Guilds, Chris Jones said:

“At City & Guilds, our purpose is to enable people and organisations to develop their skills for personal and economic growth. For this reason, we are dedicated to celebrating the exceptional talents of both our learners and our tutors. To be awarded a prize by one of our Founder Members and to receive that award from Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal is a real honour and a sign of exceptional achievement. Sion should be incredibly proud of his success, and I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Harvey and Hugo .