A business owner who has been devoted to the electrical industry for more than five decades has been recognised for his remarkable contribution with the Lifetime Achievement Award by SELECT, Scotland’s largest construction trade association.
John Noble was honoured by the campaigning body at its annual President’s Lunch at the voco Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow on 27 September.
John has run his own business, John Noble Electrical Contractors, in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, for the past 45 years after starting out as an apprentice in the early 1970s.
Along the way he has encouraged a whole new generation of electricians into the industry by helping to train more than 50 apprentices – many of whom have gone on to set up their own businesses.
Announcing the award, SELECT President Mike Stark said, “John Noble has devoted a large part of his life to the electrical industry in Scotland and has made a major contribution to the current healthy state of the sector.
“He set up his business in the seventies, in the middle of a skills shortage – that sounds rather familiar – and made it very much a family affair, with many close relatives having a role to play.
“In 1982, he employed his very first apprentice and, since then, has recruited at least one apprentice every year, training more than 50 apprentices in his time in business which is a remarkable achievement for a small electrical firm.”
John accepted his award from Mike at the prestigious event, which was attended by around 80 senior industry figures, with construction innovation expert Professor Sean Smith as guest speaker.
Afterwards, John said, “We operate in an industry which is constantly changing as we stay at the forefront of the transition to net zero, and it is a great honour for me to be recognised by my peers with this award.
“Everyone in my business has always been supportive of the role of apprentices in the sector, for the simple reason that proper training is essential to the future of the industry, and to the future of a society which will depend so heavily on the skills and experience of electricians.
“I would like to express my gratitude to my family for their ongoing support as I couldn’t have done anything without them. I would also like to thank everyone at SELECT for their guidance over the years and am still proud to be a member.”
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