JOHN Noble has been presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by SELECT, Scotland’s largest construction trade association.
He 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.
John was honoured at SELECT’s annual President’s Lunch, sponsored by Electrium, at the voco® Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow.
During his career, John 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 has served the industry and its associated organisations selflessly and, as someone so accurately once said, if you cut him in half like a stick of rock, he would have the word ‘SELECT’ running through him.”
John accepted his award from Mike at the event, which was co-sponsored by Morton Fraser MacRoberts LLP and attended by around 80 senior industry figures.
Afterwards he 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.”
John grew up on a sheep farm in the Pentland Hills. He started as an apprentice electrician in 1972 and established his own firm later that decade. He became chair of SELECT’s Edinburgh and South East of Scotland branch in his late 20s and subsequently served for two years as VP, followed by three years as president from 2011 onwards.
