At the annual Celebration of Achievement Awards ceremony, Jodie-Leigh was announced as the college’s Apprentice of the Year. The award, which was sponsored by The Sir William Turner Foundation, shortlisted apprentices across a range of industries and it was Jodie-Leigh, an apprentice on the Level 3 Business Administrator Apprenticeship, who came out on top as the well-deserved winner.

Jodie-Leigh was nominated for her resilience in overcoming personal and professional challenges, meeting targets, passing exams, striving to develop both professionally and academically, and for securing a permanent position with her employer. All the while being a single parent, with no family support, to her daughter who has complex needs. Her motivation and hard work to create a stable environment for herself and her daughter and boost her career opportunities set her apart from a selection of talented candidates.

On hearing of her success, Jodie-Leigh said

“I received a nomination for apprentice of the year, and I also received an invitation for the awards ceremony at Redcar and Cleveland College.

Upon attending on the night, I won apprentice of the year, out of everybody, which was really rewarding considering all the hard work that had gone into my apprenticeship.”

Demonstrating her own motivation, Jodie-Leigh told us that she found out about the apprenticeship whilst completing an eight-week voluntary placement on the NHS South Tees Prospect Programme. The Business Administration role was a band two in the NHS which would require Jodie-Leigh to complete an 18-month Level 3 Business Administrator Apprenticeship alongside work.

Whilst initially interested in working in the healthcare sector as a carer, the Prospect Programme led her to reconsider her options for work.

“I was always keen to be part of the healthcare sector due to being a carer. However, during voluntary placement I decided to try the business administration side as, with my experience and qualifications, it seemed more fitting for me.”

Her passion for the healthcare sector was evident as she told us about her favourite part of the apprenticeship.

“My favourite part of the apprenticeship was the end point assessment. When deciding on a project to complete, I chose South Tees International Nurses. I implemented a checklist which had all types of documents and a checklist from start to finish. I enjoyed explaining it to the assessor and showing them the work I had done and how it worked. It felt so rewarding and it is still being used for International Nurse Educators to use the checklist for each new cohort which comes in. It was a big success, and I also achieved a distinction for completing it.”

When discussing the off-the-job part of her apprenticeship training, Jodie-Leigh beamed a big smile as she praised her Apprenticeship Trainers at the College.

“My trainer, Justine, was amazing. There was never a time when I was ever afraid to email or contact her regarding any part of my apprenticeship. She was happy to look over work for me and also supported me with my maths. Every single part of it, Justine was available, as was Claire if Justine was ever away. They would both respond to me straight away, they were very thorough, very supportive, and absolutely amazing. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Congratulations, Jodie-Leigh on becoming the Redcar and Cleveland College Apprentice of the Year, 2024.

If you are interested in finding out about the range of apprenticeships we offer, visit Apprenticeships | Redcar & Cleveland College.

To arrange to speak to a member of the apprenticeships team, email recruitment@the-etc.ac.uk.