FORMER COLLEGE APPRENTICE RECOGNISED IN NATIONAL AWARD SCHEME

A former apprentice from North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (@nwslc_official) has been named as runner-up in the West Midlands regional finals of the National Apprenticeship Awards.

Alex-Louise Jones, from Broughton Astley, who works at NWSLC as a marketing and events officer, was highly commended in the Advanced Apprentice of the Year category for her work to help bring events to life for young people taking their next steps in education at the age of 16 and above. Having completed her apprenticeship within 14 months with a Distinction grade, Alex-Louise’s achievements included:

• Helping to to pivot the delivery of a physical open event to a fully online experience in May 2020 that attracted over 300 visitors.
• Leading on the launch and marketing of the Creative Blooms commercial florist service run by students at the college’s Hinckley Campus.
• Developing a fortnightly peer-to-peer vlog series to help school students make informed choices about vocational and apprenticeship options.
• Successfully supporting the schools’ liaison officer to deliver engaging and informative talks on post-16 options to over 5,000 school pupils.

The National Apprenticeship Awards challenge top apprenticeship employers, apprentices, and those who champion apprenticeships across England to come forward and show how apprenticeships have made a real difference to their organisation and careers.

Alex-Louise said,

“I considered going to university to study film but decided that I wanted to start work straight away so I could earn a wage. I have always had a passion for marketing so when I saw that the college was looking for an apprentice to join its marketing team, I decided to apply.

“As an events apprentice, I started by contributing to the success of physical events and quickly had to pivot what I had learned, and build additional skills, to help shift delivery to online events during the pandemic through a variety of platforms including Teams, the college website, and social media.

“I am hoping to continue my professional development in marketing and follow a higher level CIM qualification so that I can achieve a broader overview of the discipline before taking steps towards supervisory and management-level roles in the future.”

Anita Ladva-Cheung, Marketing and Communications Manager at NWSLC said,

“We are very proud of Alex’s achievements and delighted with the impact that she has made on the team and the wider college and its customers. Alex’s achievements are testament to the amazing impact that apprenticeships can have on fast-tracking careers.”