The lighter nights are here, the daffodils are blooming, and the faint aroma of BBQ is in the air – it’s safe to say that spring is well underway! While this month has been jam-packed with bank holidays, the 4-day week hasn’t stopped our apprentices from going above and beyond in their workplace…
Over the last few months, we have received an incredible number of nominations from our employers, highlighting the impressive progression and impact their apprentices have had in their workplace.
Apprentice of the month
Our Apprentice of the Month winner is Alex Collyer. Alex is currently undertaking a Level 4 Software Developer Apprenticeship at Bloc Digital. Alex was nominated by Office Manager, Mandy Salmon who shared the impressive impact Alex has had at Bloc Digital:
“Since being at Bloc Digital, Alex has demonstrated such a great attitude and work ethic. We have been so impressed with his progression and determination to better himself. Alex’s progress over his apprenticeship has been incredible. Joining the business mid pandemic with remote working did not hinder his development, as we would have expected. Every challenge he has been given is tackled with enthusiasm, logic, and creativity.
“Alex’s ability to grasp new programming languages, eye for design, logical mind, and a natural aptitude to break down a problem have assisted with his apprenticeship and meant his progression has been extremely smooth from both his and our perspectives. His ability to take a project brief, ask questions and communicate to clients has helped the business immensely along with allowing him to be self-sufficient and unsupervised with little worry from Bloc.”
Bloc Digital’s Director had a few words to say about Alex:
“Alex has been amazingly fast learning and he quickly surpassed any expectations we had for how long it might take to upskill him to a proficient level. He is already a key member of our development team and with his drive to continue to learn new skills I am sure he will carry on exceeding expectations.”
Amazing work Alex!
stand out nominees
This month we received an incredible number of stand-out nominations! So, without any further ado, here are 16 amazing apprentices, who all deserve to be recognised for their achievements:
ABBIE KELLY, KRSS LTD
“I believe that the work ethic and dedication that Abbie has demonstrated is a great example of why some employers are missing a trick when it comes to apprenticeships. Abbie deserves to be recognised and rewarded for her fantastic start to her apprenticeship. She has taken on tasks without hesitation, including some that she admits have challenged her, but her willingness to learn has seen her accept the challenges and use them as ways to enhance her knowledge and growth. “
CHARLES BALDWIN, ITS
“Charles displays his enthusiasm for learning in his Baltic work by winning Apprentice of the Week twice, and this has been reflected in feedback from his Data Coach and both his course tutors thus far. He recently also joined the North East Apprenticeship Ambassadors’ network, participated in a Digital Levelling Up North East event and attended apprenticeships open day event at Hartlepool College as part of National Apprenticeship Week.”
EMMA SKIRROW, ROTHERHAM, DONCASTER, AND SOUTH HUMBER NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
“Emma has really embraced the apprenticeship training with enthusiasm even though this at times has felt like a steep learning curve. Emma has applied her learning to enhance the work that she is doing to support clinical teams, and this is already having a positive impact. Emma balances the training alongside what can be a demanding role within operational services and works flexibly to do this.”
JACK GAIR, DAVID ROSS EDUCATION TRUST
“Jack has approached his training with Baltic with the same rigour and professionalism he shows in the central IT & Data Team and the Academy he is based. He goes above and beyond, always. Jack is willing to take on new challenges and is seeing professional development as the core of his profession. ‘I can help with that’, is the offer Jack makes to his colleagues regularly.”
robert jones, innox
“Since Rob joined us, I have been overwhelmed by his hard work and dedication to the business. He has been incredibly proactive in his physical work and has become an instrumental individual in the team. Rob now carries great responsibilities in his daily duties, and we have committed to training Rob in Paid Media & Search as a result of his outstanding efforts — this is a role that we will be pursuing for Rob post-apprenticeship.”
SHANNON COOPER – TRINITY ACADEMY NEWCASTLE TRUST
“Shannon has worked relentlessly in building partnerships with local secondary schools and businesses within the North East, which has supported our Post 16 Academy in increasing their brand awareness and increasing their learner numbers. Shannon has also effectively created and developed a new trust website while creating new social media accounts on Twitter and Instagram.”
KAT MATTHEWS, CERT PROPERTY
“Kat always works to the best of her ability and is open to feedback to improve and refine her work. During a time when CERT’s rebrand marketing materials have been in creation, Kat has played a fundamental role. Establishing the brand style has taken trial and error in some cases, yet she persevered through amendments to craft a quality end product.”
KIRSTY JOHNSTON, TEE GEE DIGITAL
“Kirsty has built up fantastic knowledge in digital marketing on all platforms and this knowledge has given her the confidence she needs to give voice to her ideas and opinions for the ongoing projects at Tee Gee Digital. Kirsty is always positive; she enjoys learning and the quality of her work has come a long way since she started with Tee Gee Digital. She works hard to achieve her goals and has lots of ambitions for her future.”
MARK HOPWOOD, DRET
“Mark has been a sponge for information and taken on board all the information that he has had to quickly pick up in a fast-paced environment. Mark has approached the Baltic training courses with enthusiasm and excitement and brought back a host of information that he has been able to apply to improve daily operations.”
NATHAN GRIMSON, CEF
“Since joining CEF Nathan has made a very positive impact on our teams, he has thrown himself into all tasks provided to him. Nathan’s attitude to his work is fantastic and nothing is ever too much trouble. He’s keen to learn, always asks questions and is always contributing to team discussions on solutions. During Nathan’s time with the IT fulfilment team, Nathan has continually exceeded the targets set for him regarding tickets resolved.”
NIAMH MCGAHON, VIA CREATIVE
“Niamh has been working well across a range of different software platforms and has now moved into helping with our e-marketing promotions and follow-ups. Niamh is now contributing with idea generation on our marketing campaigns after recently completing our Christmas VIAdvent case studies campaign which has resulted in increased likes and shares and more followers during December.”
OLE FRANCUZ, KETCHUP MARKETING
“Ole has been an energetic, enthusiastic, and eager to learn addition to Team Red here at Ketchup Marketing. Two 100% scores on tests and two Apprentice of the Week awards. He is dependable and can be trusted to deliver and we look forward to him increasingly showcasing his talents as he upskills. We look forward to getting the most out of Ole’s brilliant creativeness on his journey as he brings his new skills and experiences to bear.”
SAM RICHARDSON, ASTLEY UK
“Nothing seems to faze Sam and it’s such a privilege to watch him learn and hone skills like videoing, editing, and posting his content online. He is about to launch his first solo campaign in February covering a topic he is particularly passionate about, and we can’t wait to see what the response is.”
WILL FORT, SUNDOWN SOLUTIONS
“Will is demonstrating a true commitment and quality to his customers both internally and externally. Will has already participated in several technical projects offering his assistance in several ways such as troubleshooting and software development. This participation has been met with excellent feedback from customers.”
ZOE COLLINSON, INCONNECTION UK LIMITED
“Zoe has hit the ground running since she joined Inconnection and swiftly thrown herself into our marketing strategies learning lots of new things along the way. Zoe has a positive attitude and is willing to get involved with all aspects of marketing, in particular, her love of writing has shone through. “
nominate your apprentice
If you’ve got a Baltic Apprentice who deserves some recognition, we’d love to share their story in the new year!
Please send your nomination (around 200 words) to nominations@balticapprenticeships.com.
Nominations are open until the 23rd of each month. Any nominations we receive after this date will be considered for the next award.