• A range of skills of four finalists rigorously tested on the day
• Prize-giving announced at prestigious ceremony in ESB Networks Training Centre in Portlaoise
• ESB recruiting  300 apprentices for high quality programme between 2015 and 2020

Portlaoise,  19 May 2016 – Kevin O’Sullivan from Macroom Co Cork has been announced ESB Networks Apprentice Network Technician of the Year following successful completion of a series of tasks in a high-pressure setting today.

He won out against three other finalists shortlisted –Gabriel Gillespie (Donegal), David Kenny (Arklow) and Thomas Conway (South Kilkenny) - who engaged in a range of exercises which were assessed by a judging panel and awarded on the day.

The high-profile event took place at the ESB Networks National Training Centre in Portlaoise this afternoon.

Congratulating  Kevin, ESB Chief Executive Pat O’Doherty says “I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to Kevin for a hard fought achievement. I have no doubt that Kevin and the three other finalists – Gabriel, David and Thomas - will make a lasting contribution to the company. The high quality of craftwork on display today is testament to the calibre and skill-set of the current intake of apprentices at ESB.

“ESB is well-known for its high-quality apprenticeship programme which has served the company and the country well over the decades - not least in recent times when our Network Technicians faced down the worst of the winter storms, reconnecting hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses. The proof of this is in the extraordinary level of interest in our recent apprenticeship recruitment campaign”

ESB Networks Managing Director Marguerite Sayers, who presented the Shane Conlon Perpetual Award, said that the standard of this year’s competition was exceptionally high. “The tasks - conducted under time constraints and meticulously judged – were selected to simulate real life conditions faced by an ESB Networks Technician. They included sub-station wiring, cable commissioning, transformer tests and vehicle inspection. With safety a core ESB value,  meticulous attention to detail by all finalists was required. 

“These four finalists are the cream of a very talented crop and I salute Kevin for winning out on the day. Such is the popularity of ESB apprenticeship recruitment campaigns that they are generally over-subscribed many times over – this year’s recruitment drive for instance attracted over 3,300 applicants for up to 100 places.” 

Kevin recently got married after what he says were “ten years assessing the situation” and has recently returned from his honeymoon with his wife Helen in Borneo and Malaysia.  Commenting on his achievement today, Kevin says: “I am delighted and honoured to have won the Apprentice of the Year, which is a great start to my career at ESB. I’ve found my apprenticeship journey so far at ESB Networks hugely interesting and rewarding. The tasks today reflect the varied work of a Network Technician so it was a really tough competition and I’m over the moon to have won out.”

ENDS