A mid-Norfolk student of agricultural management has been honoured at an awards ceremony in London.
Carlos Paiva, currently undergoing a level three ILM management diploma with Poultec, received the Poulters Awards student of the year prize at the ceremony at Armourers' Hall in central London on June 20.
The training learner won £1,000 and a certificate for making a substantial contribution to the poultry sector.
Poultec Training is based at South Green Park, Mattishall, delivering work-based training within areas such as butchery, manufacturing, and poultry production.
Nathan Raines, associate director at Poultec Training, said: 'I first met Carlos when I was his assessor during the completion of his advanced apprenticeship and it was very clear from early on that he had a very positive outlook, not just in regards to his own development but also for that of all his staff.
'Carlos is a great role model for young people in the Poultry Industry and an example of how, if you put the effort in and you are committed, you can and will progress into senior positions.
'I wish Carlos great success for the future.'
Poulters Master Robert Haynes presented the award and cheque to Mr Paiva at the Poulters Midsummer Court and Luncheon.
Mr Paiva came to the UK in 2008 and started work at a poultry processing site as an operative on the portion line. In this role he was committed to making changes in the workplace, such as re-educating staff about minimising waste.
In April 2012, Carlos began work at PD Hook Hatcheries where he completed his intermediate apprenticeship in Agriculture. In 2015 Carlos was promoted to assistant hatchery manager at Cote, the largest hatchery in the PD Hook group, where he completed his advanced apprenticeship.
Mr Paiva was in charge of managing 2.1m chicks being hatched every week, supervising 70 staff members and improving hatchability rates from 79pc to 82pc. In 2018, he became the manager at Cote.
Patrick Hook, a PD Hook director, says, 'Carlos is extremely conscientious in his approach and has driven improvements in performance and productivity during his recent time at Cote Hatchery.'
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