Training to be honoured
his life change after taking part in a three-month Prince’s Trust Team Programme - a Traineeship Engagement – delivered by training provider People Business-Wales Ltd. He developed confidence, made new friends and enjoyed a two-week work taster with Crystal IT, which has made him positive about the future.
Catherine Grace Cox, 19, from Bangor, has overcome severe dyslexia to complete a Traineeship Engagement programme with Grŵp Llandrillo Menai and has set her heart on becoming a hairdresser. Showing great tenacity, she has progressed to a Level I NVQ in Hairdressing and is aiming to become a colour technician.
Emily Wintle,18, from Llanharry, has overcome dyslexia and many knockbacks on the way to becoming a valued member of staff at St Aubin Nursery in Cowbridge. With support from ACT Training, she completed her Level 1 Childcare Traineeship in three months and has now progressed to a foundation apprenticeship in childcare.
Joshua O’Leary, 19, from Sirhowy, Tredegar, was bullied at school but is now a confident and forward looking young man with a job and career prospects. Through Merthyr Tydfil-based training provider PeoplePlus and a job with Elite Paper Solutions, Joshua has successfully completed a Level 1 Traineeship Programme and has progressed to a Foundation Apprenticeship in Warehousing.
Kirsty Redmond, 21, works for Fredericks House care home in her home town of Merthyr Tydfil. Despite having learning difficulties and being the principal carer for her father and three siblings, she has completed a Traineeship Engagement programme and a level one in health and social care with support from training provider PeoplePlus.
Megan Hession, 24, from Llanishen, Cardiff, manages two supported living houses, a large group of service users and staff teams for Caerphilly-based Montana Healthcare. Completing an apprenticeship in health and social care services and a Higher Apprenticeship with ACT Training, she gained three promotions within two years despite requiring major surgery.
Butcher Peter Rushforth, 22, who lives in Leeswood and works for Swans Farm Shop, Treuddyn, near Mold, has progressed from a foundation apprenticeship to a higher apprenticeship in food manufacturing excellence with Cambrian Training Company. A former Welsh young butcher champion, he achieved a WorldSkills UK gold medal, represented the UK in a European contest and won a scholarship to America in the last year.
Rebecca Crook, 41, lives in St Athan and works for Little Inspirations Day Nursery, Barry. She completed a higher apprenticeship in children’s care, learning development, leadership and management with Torfaen Training after finding a new job with Little Inspirations and has been promoted to nursery manager.
Joe Lewis, 21, from Port Talbot, works for Vale Europe Limited’s nickel refinery at Clydach where he has completed a foundation apprenticeship in business administration with Acorn Learning Solutions. He has developed strategic tools used by the refinery to set goals and targets for its employees.
Sam Jones, 32, from Pontypridd, is a build and replace apprentice with Wales & West Utilities where his training is delivered by Utilise TDS for Cardiff and Vale College.
He won Ambassador and Rising Star Award Awards from his employer after creating ‘Sam the Sniffer Dog’, a retro-fit design cover for carbon monoxide home alarms to raise awareness of the silent killer.
Sophie Hendy, 21, an apprentice with Tommy’s Hair Company, Llandudno, has achieved a Foundation Apprenticeship in hairdressing and barbering and is nearing completion of an apprenticeship. Described as “inspirational” by training provider ISA Training, Sophie won a special award as a WorldSkills UK hairdressing finalist last year and will compete in the final again in November.
Adam Griffiths, 28, from Ynysybwl, works for Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council and has not let ill health stop him from achieving a civil engineering technician apprenticeship through Bridgend College. He is about to progress to a HND in Civil Engineering.
Corey Jones, 22, from Wrexham, has worked his way up from store assistant to assistant manager at discount retailer Aldi’s Mold store within three years.
His learning journey has included a level three diploma in retail skills with training provider First4Skills/ ITEC. Stephen Pickles, 19, from Llanrumney, Cardiff, is an apprentice with global engineering company, Renishaw. He has completed a mechanical manufacturing engineering apprenticeship through the University of South Wales and is the company’s first apprentice at Miskin to sign off nine projects all with technical folders.
TRAINEESHIP LEARNER OF THE YEAR (LEVEL 1) HIGHER APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR WORK-BASED LEARNING TUTOR OF THE YEAR
Matthew Owen, 44, from Pontypridd, works for Aspiration Training in St Mellons, Cardiff. A natural mathematician, he teaches in a way that even the most fearful of learners leave his sessions enthused and eager to learn more.
Ros Smith, 43, from Pontypridd, is lead motor vehicle tutor at ACT Training in Cardiff. Changing the lives of her learners is the ethos to which Ros has dedicated herself for more than 23 years and 96% progress to further learning or employment.
WORK-BASED LEARNING ASSESSOR OF THE YEAR
Emma Huggins, 35, from Rhoose, works for ACT Training in Cardiff and is a former apprentice herself. Having a caseload of 40 business administration, customer service and retail foundation apprentices, she understands the importance of treating each learner as an individual.
Kelly Nancarrow, 37, from Cwmbran, is a higher training officer and centre internal quality assurer with Torfaen Training. She has more than 15 years’ work-based learning experience and her learners achieve a high success rate.
Sue Jeffries, 61, from Pontcanna, Cardiff, used more than 30 years’ experience in TV production to start Sgil Cymru, which specialises in apprenticeships in roles ranging from costume to special effects. She is lead assessor across three media apprenticeships and delivers flexible training to meet the demands of TV companies.