The winners of the 2026 DfT Special Recognition Apprentice Awards were announced at the LCRIG Innovation & Learning Festival on Wednesday 25 June. The awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of apprentices who are making a real impact within their organisations, communities and the wider industry.
Congratulations to Christian Maude who won the Exceptional Frontline Apprentice Award. This award celebrates apprentices who make outstanding contributions in frontline roles within the highways and road infrastructure technology sector. Christian was recognised for delivering outstanding frontline leadership during Storm Goretti. Operating as Duty Area Coordinator, Christian managed extreme call volumes, coordinated emergency responses to widespread tree falls and flooding, and safeguarded the public and critical transport links.
The Judges’ comments were as follows:“Christian delivers excellent frontline leadership in extreme circumstances, beyond expectations of an apprentice. During Storm Goretti, he operated as a Duty Area Coordinator under red weather warnings, managing emergency response, risk, public communications, and crew deployment. Crucially, this is not just “performance under pressure” and evidence accelerated learning, decision-making maturity, and operational leadership developed in real time.”
James Rickard, was Highly Commended in the Exceptional Frontline Apprentice Award category for his achievements over the last two years. This was exemplified by an outstanding performance in his role, sustained commitment to learning and the positive, measurable impact on service delivery. James completed his Level 3 Civil Engineering Technician Apprenticeship and gained his EngTech professional qualification with the ICE, all while carrying out a demanding role and becoming a father.
Lydia Knight was also Highly Commended in the Level 4–6 Apprenticeship Award, which celebrates excellence among Level 4-6 apprentices in the highways and transport technology sector. Lydia was recognised for her enthusiasm, rapid learning and strong work ethic which earned her an early promotion and a key role in a complex Refurbishment project. As an Apprentice Ambassador, Lydia inspires young people exploring engineering careers.
Congratulations to all our apprentices who won, were nominated, highly commended and shortlisted.
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