Outstanding employers and apprentices were given special recognition as part of the Chesterfield College Group Celebration of Achievement Awards ceremony.
The event, held at the Proact Stadium and hosted by Peak FM’s breakfast show presenters Ricky Durkin and Becky Hayes, recognised the personal and academic achievements of students at all stages of their educational journey. Employers were also rewarded for showing commitment to developing the skills of their workforce.
Staff from across the college group nominated students, apprentices and employers who have demonstrated exceptional ability and commitment over the academic year.
Worcester Bosch were the winners of the Employer of the Year category. Their commitment to giving young people the chance to develop skills and experience with them stood out to judges. The company has worked closely with the college for many years and has helped develop the careers of many engineers.
The company stood out to judges because of the way they are heavily involved in every step of the apprentice journey right from the selection process to completion. They value apprentices and offer good progression opportunities within the company.
The other shortlisted nominees in the Employer of the Year Category were Bombardier and Alphaweld.
The award for the Apprentice of the Year went to Roy Cusworth, age 59 from Doncaster who started a health and
social care apprenticeship with Heathcotes to help him retrain after being made redundant from a 28-year career of working as a butcher. After putting lots of hard work into gaining his qualification and going the extra mile to pass his English and maths he was promoted to team
leader and is now studying for the next level qualification. He said:
“It’s a proud moment and it’s great to have my family here to see me get the award. I’ve had so much support from them, from my tutor and from my employer, Heathcotes. I love my job and my apprenticeship has given me a new career that really suits me. There were times when I didn’t think I could do it but this goes to show what you can achieve with the right support.”
Other shortlisted nominees in the Apprentice of the Year category were Chelsea Johnson and Stephanie Eyre.
Julie Richards, Principal and Chief Executive of the Chesterfield College Group said:
“It is an honour to be able to celebrate the achievements of these amazing students, apprentices and employers. They have been chosen from over 10,000 students and apprentices and around 4,000 employers to receive an award tonight. It really is a testament to the efforts and achievements they have made this year.”
“It is wonderful to see how The Chesterfield College Group has played a part in helping so many people, at different ages and stages of life, to achieve their goals, to experience new opportunities and to progress into work or further study. I wish them all every success and I look forward to seeing how they use their newly developed skills in the future.”