Heritage Skills Academy's very own Operations Director was selected for this prestigious award in the Personality Category.
This award, supported by HERO events, "seeks to recognise any individual who has made a truly outstanding contribution to heritage, historic motoring or historic motorsport during the judging period. The winner can come from any part of the British historic motoring world - private enthusiast, club organiser or perhaps a specialist who has achieved something remarkable."
To quote the Royal Automobile Club:
"Janice Pitchforth has been singularly instrumental in promoting and developing apprenticeships throughout the Heritage industry commenced by P and A Wood some years ago. It is a vital part of the work of the Heritage Skills Academy located at Bicester Heritage. Janice has worked tirelessly to secure apprenticeship opportunities for young people. She has then gone a step further to engage with them to such a degree of success that she has been asked to open a second Southern centre for apprenticeship training at the Brooklands museum. Janice’s success with the Heritage Engineering Technical Apprenticeship programme has restored the faith of a disillusioned industry in the potential and commitment of a new generation of engineers. When the motor industry is recording 90% fewer apprenticeship starts since last year, she has bucked the trend by matching 25 new employees with apprentices since the Covid lockdown in March.
Judges’ comment: The contributions all the nominees have made to sustaining the Historic car movement at this difficult time have been substantial and we appreciate the opportunity we have been given to recognise these outstanding efforts. However, because she is creating the human foundations for the Heritage industry in such a vibrant and clearly successful manner, we felt Janice stood out as the the outstanding candidate. Her work is ensuring the Heritage fleet will be supported by skilled, knowledgeable individuals for decades to come. She is also making a positive difference to human lives.
Janice has worked tirelessly to secure apprenticeship opportunities for people aged from their teens to their 50s. She has then gone a step further to engage with them to such a degree of success that she has been asked to open a second Southern centre for apprenticeship training at Brooklands Museum.
Janice's success with the Heritage Engineering Technical Apprenticeship programme has restored the faith of a disillusioned industry in the potential and commitment of a new generation of engineers.
When the motor industry is recording 90% fewer apprenticeship starts since last year, she has bucked the trend by matching 25 new employees with apprentices since the COVID lockdown in March. Janice’s work is ensuring the Heritage fleet will be supported by skilled, knowledgeable individuals for decades to come. She is also making a positive difference to human lives."
Congratulations Janice!