Jonathan Done receives FLTA's "apprentice of the year 2006" award from Terry Foreman, manager of Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks UK.

The Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA) in the UK is working with the City of Bristol College to offer apprenticeship courses for potential forklift engineers by September 2006.

North Warwickshire & Hinckley College, in the Midlands, is currently the only UK educational institution to offer a course in forklift maintenance but FLTA chief executive David Ellison hopes that will change.

"FLTA is working with the City of Bristol College to [offer courses] by the start of next term, one in the north, one in the south and one in the middle [of Bristol]," Ellison said.

FLTA's apprentice of the year 2006, Jonathan Done, will complete his course at North Warwickshire & Hinckley College in May to be a qualified forklift service engineer.

Done, who nailed the FLTA award at the Birmingham Hilton Metropole Hotel ceremony in February, started work with forklift dealer Jofson Mitsubishi as a storeman before approaching Jofson managing director Rachel Moore about his engineering ambition.

He was immediately sent for the nationally recognised three-year apprenticeship course at North Warwickshire & Hinckley College.

In the first year, he learned the basics of forklift mechanics, tools, materials and health and safety issues. The second year included subjects on truck design while the third year saw Done learning more technical subjects, such as the industry's latest computer-based developments.

As an apprentice, Done's college course was funded by the UK Government but his accommodation, travel costs and wages were paid by his employer.

Ellison said the average wage of an apprentice in the UK started at GBP135 (USD234.30) a week and increased to GBP243 (USD421.75) a week in the third year.