NTU Apprenticeship Awards recognises students and local employers

This year’s Nottingham Trent University (NTU) Apprenticeship Awards took place recently – rewarding and recognising the remarkable work of NTU apprentices and the employers who support them.

NTU Apprenticeship Awards 2022

A record number of nominations were received for nine categories reviewed by a panel of four independent judges from employers and employer representative bodies.

Nominations were asked to evidence the outstanding contribution an apprentice had made to the business over their duration, or the commitment that had been made to using apprenticeships to drive workforce development or talent acquisition for employers.

Winners included Rachael Bailey, who won Outstanding Apprentice of the Year – Health, Education and Care, as well as NTU Apprentice of the Year. Rachael is currently undertaking an apprenticeship at the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust as part of her Level 6 Healthcare Science Practitioner course, where she is studying for BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science as part of the apprenticeship.

Rachael was recognised for her dedication to both her work and her studies and for being an inspiration and motivation to colleagues.

She said of her win: “I’m a bit overwhelmed, but exceptionally happy. Getting hands-on learning and skills passed on from senior biomedical scientists in combination with a degree has just given me the best opportunity allowing me to progress in my career. I would 100% recommend anyone to do it”.

Employers were also recognised for their part – Derry Building Services won Apprentice Employer of the Year (under 250 employees).

DBS was recognised for its long-standing and continued commitment to apprenticeships and making them a fundamental part of its talent acquisition and workforce development strategy.

Joanne Lacey, Managing Surveyor, says of the win: “Apprentices are the future of the industry as far as we're concerned, I'm a former apprentice myself, I've been with DBS for 15 years, worked my way up through the ranks.

“It’s a team effort, and we want to say thank you to NTU.”

The full list of winners is below:

Outstanding Apprentice of the Year – Public Services: Gavin Seaton, Leicestershire County Council

Outstanding Apprentice of the Year – Food Manufacturing & Service Industries: Kim Arnold, Griffith Foods

Outstanding Apprentice of the Year – Financial, Legal & Business Services: Bethany Pass, Ideagen

Outstanding Apprentice of the Year – Construction and Engineering: Sally White, B&K Structures

Outstanding Apprentice of the Year – Health, Education and Care: Rachael Bailey, University of Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust

First Year Apprentice of the Year: Esme Freitas, Derry Building Services

Apprentice Employer of the Year (250+ employees): Greencore

Apprentice Employer of the Year (1-249 employees): Derry Building Services

NTU Apprentice of the Year 2022: Rachael Bailey, University

Notes for editors

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About Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) received the Queens Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2021 for cultural heritage science research. It is the second time that NTU has been bestowed the honour of receiving a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its research, the first being in 2015 for leading-edge research on the safety and security of global citizens.
The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent. 86% of NTU’s research impact was assessed to be either world-leading or internationally excellent.
NTU was awarded Outstanding Support for Students 2020 (Times Higher Education Awards). It was the University of the Year 2019 (Guardian University Awards, UK Social Mobility Awards), Modern University of the Year 2018 (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide) and University of the Year 2017 (Times Higher Education Awards).
NTU is the 5^th largest UK institution by student numbers, with over 33,000 students and more than 4,000 staff located across five campuses. It has an international student population of 4,000 and an NTU community representing around 160 countries.
In the past 15 years, NTU has invested £450 million in tools, technology and facilities.
NTU is in the UK’s top 10 for number of applications and ranked first for accepted offers (2019 UCAS UG acceptance data) It is also among the UK’s top five recruiters of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
75% of NTU students go on to graduate-level employment or graduate-entry education / training within fifteen months of graduating (Guardian University Guide 2021).
NTU is 4th globally (and 3rd in the UK) for sustainability in the 2021 UI Green Metric University World Rankings (out of more than 900 participating universities).