Introducing Aldrin Mendonca of Greencore.
Aldrin was awarded the Food & Drink Maintenance Engineering Graduate Award at our recent Apprenticeship Awards. Bob Lynn, his MGTS Training & Development Adviser, gave a such a heart warming speech we thought we’d share it with you…
“If this evening is about recognising distinction, then Aldrin Mendonca is the reason we have to keep redefining what that word actually means.
“On paper, Aldrin is a Level 3 Food and Drink Maintenance Engineer, Multi‑skilled pathway, achieving distinction in his knowledge test, distinction in his practical assessment and project, and distinction again in his professional dialogue and interview – a clean sweep of distinction across every component of his end‑point assessment, culminating in an overall grade of, yes, distinction. In a world of pass and fail, Aldrin seems to have decided that ‘pass’ was far too low a setting.
“But the real distinction is how he’s gone about it. At Greencore, he’s been the apprentice who doesn’t just turn up, but quietly raises the game of the people around him – the one you see on site “just getting on with it”, with the calm assurance of someone you might easily mistake for running the place. In his project work he delivered tangible efficiency benefits for the business, planning meticulously, collaborating with original equipment manufacturers and colleagues, and seeing a demanding piece of engineering through from concept to results.
“At MGTS, Aldrin quickly became the ‘go‑to’ person for his peers – the difference between a good cohort and a distinguished one. While others revised for a knowledge test, Aldrin embodied it, showing the kind of deep understanding that lets you answer every technical question and still have enough left over to help the person sitting next to you. In his professional dialogue, what stood out was not only what he knew, but how he behaved – superb professional conduct, clear communication, and a grounded confidence that marks the true distinction between potential and maturity.
“Aldrin has an apprenticeship certificate that says ‘Distinction’. We acknowledge that he has lived that word – in his results, in his work on site, in his support for others, and in the example he sets for every apprentice who will follow. It is a privilege to present the Graduate Apprentice of the Year award to someone who has turned distinction from a grade into a habit.”
Aldrin, please take a bow!