Star of both the Rugby field and film set, Martin Bayfield, hosted the Electrical Distributors’ Association’s (EDA) annual Education & Training Awards in front of over 500 guests at the Association’s flag-ship Annual Awards Dinner on Thursday 9 March 2023 in London’s Park Lane. EDA Investor in Training Award winners are hand-picked from thousands of managers in wholesaler and manufacturer businesses across the UK for their impressive commitment to developing their teams using the Association’s module and apprenticeship programmes.
Sharing entertaining stories from a career that spans 31 England caps, a stunt-double role in the Harry Potter film, sports commentating, and Celebrity MasterChef, Martin presented the trophies alongside EDA President, Charlie Lacey, Managing Director at Stearn Electric Co Ltd, and John Henry, Managing Director, at Award sponsors EDA Apprenticeships Plus.
Charlie Lacey said of the winners, “Huge congratulations to this year’s winners. These Awards demonstrate the fantastic commitment by this sector to the professional development of its people. Each winner has demonstrated how the benefit of access to the EDA’s outstanding training and apprenticeship offer has delivered exceptional results for their teams.”
Margaret Fitzsimons, CEO at the EDA, added “It is gratifying to be able to publicly praise the work of these managers who work so hard to give their teams the opportunity to develop their professional skills and to build great careers. The stories are familiar: so often managers started in entry level roles themselves and someone gave them an opportunity which kick-started their careers: now they want to do the same for others.
“Tonight’s award ceremony is also the culmination of an amazing 12 months for the Association’s training programme: in August 2022 our Product Knowledge Modules was honoured with an HRH Princess Royal Training Award. Perhaps not surprisingly following such a high profile endorsement, demand for the training has soared and in January 2023 module orders were double that of the previous year. Our Apprenticeship Service is also buoyant with more and more EDA businesses reaching out to bring new talent into their teams via the apprenticeship route.”
