A National Training Board (NTB) apprentice trainee scored the highest out of 40,000 students who wrote a motor mechanics technician course, in the western Canadian province of Alberta.

Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety Randolph Horton presented Trevor Simmons with a plaque of recognition.

Mr. Simmons was not eligible to receive an award from the Canadian Government, because he was not a Canadian national. However, said Mr. Horton: "The Canadian Government is reconsidering the Canadian-only eligibility criterion."

Mr. Simmons works at the Government Quarry and he spent two months in Alberta and sat his exam in March.

As with Mr. Simmons, five other apprentices from the Ministry of Works and Engineering took part in NTB apprenticeship training courses in motor mechanics.

Minister of Works and Engineering Terry Lister said the apprenticeship was put into place a few years ago to replace existing mechanics who were about to retire.

The apprentices Kyuan Simmons, Adrian Burrows, Michael Thompson, Desmond Woolridge and Erskin Phillips, have passed the second year of the three year programme.

"This achievement will give these students a solid knowledge base from which they can progress to become top class technicians," said Minister Lister.