ILM Learner is Apprentice of the Year
Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) learner Claire Harrison has been named National Apprentice of the Year in the annual Apprenticeship Awards, hosted by the Learning and Skills Council and sponsored by City & Guilds. Claire, 21, who works for Dales Pharmaceuticals in Skipton, North Yorkshire, completed the ILM Apprenticeship in Team Leading with the North Lancs Training Group.
The awards reward apprentices who have exceeded their employer's expectations and whose contribution to the workplace has brought demonstrable business benefits. When Claire began as a team leader in the packing department of the company, absenteeism was at 11 per cent. Within three months of her arrival, it was reduced to two per cent and has been maintained at below three per cent each month. ‘With the skills and knowledge I gained through my apprenticeship, I have helped the packing department to improve budgets and efficiencies,’ she says.
Steve Dewar, operations director for Dales Pharmaceuticals, describes her as a "rising star" within the organisation and says she has delivered on all levels. He adds: ‘I am in no doubt that she has a strong future within our business and her rise through the ranks through her apprenticeship is providing a standard for others to follow.’
Claire's first job at Dales was as a packer and she realised she needed qualifications if she was to advance her career at the company. She initially enrolled on basic mathematics and English courses and subsequently the apprenticeship. Following completion of this, she progressed to the role of supervisor, running her own department.
"My apprenticeship has made my confidence soar. Before I started I had nothing to show for myself," she says, adding: ‘I feel a great sense of achievement from completing my apprenticeship and it has increased my desire to learn. It has given me a better understanding of the skills required to enable me to work well in a team and understand what effect my role has within the department.’
It is the second year running that the ILM-accredited North Lancs Training Group has trained the winner of the National Apprentice of the Year and in both cases the winners have been supported in their studies by training officer Donna Coleman. ‘The ILM aprenticeships really challenge the students,’ says Donna. ‘Claire has proved to be an extremely positive apprentice embracing the ethos of the apprenticeship to achieve her objectives and goals. She has proved she has the skills needed to become an outstanding team leader.’
Claire, who received her award at a ceremony in the Royal Horticultural Halls in London, was clearly serious when she said the apprenticeship has increased her desire to learn. She has just enrolled on the ILM's Advanced Apprenticeship in Management with North Lancs Training Group.
About ILM:
The Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) is Europe’s leading management organisation. ILM partners with more than 80,000 individuals and organisations each year to help them fulfil their potential and achieve success through its wide range of flexible leadership and management development solutions.
From industry-leading qualifications and membership services to specialist learning resources, all ILM products and services are built on in-depth research and benchmarked against best practice standards. Supporting a fast-growing community of over 30,000 practising leaders and managers, ILM’s membership services are designed to provide ongoing continuing professional development throughout every stage of a manager’s career.
Backed by an in depth programme of thought leadership research, ILM operates internationally, improving leadership and management skills, knowledge and outputs across all sectors, from corporate finance to the armed forces.