A Telford College apprentice has been recognised as a rising star at a national awards ceremony.
Charlotte Hughes, who works at The Wrekin Housing Group, beat competition from across the country to be named Apprentice of the Year at the 2021 Housing Heroes/Women in Housing Awards.
As a business administrator apprentice, Charlotte has been instrumental in creating Wrekin’s central admin team, which was set up to help the organisation during the pandemic.
Charlotte put herself forward to help lead and organise the team, using her own initiative to recruit fellow apprentice colleagues to help in the organisation’s response.
She said: “I am absolutely delighted and surprised to have won the Apprentice of the Year award.
“It has taken a little while to sink in. It is a great honour and a testament to the professional and personal support I’ve received from my colleagues here at Wrekin.
“Serving my apprenticeship at Wrekin has provided me with a great kick-start to my career and an amazing environment for me to learn.”
Wayne Gethings, chief executive at The Wrekin Housing Group said: “Charlotte has been a great asset to Wrekin. She is hard working and dedicated, keen to learn and hugely popular with colleagues.
“Charlotte is also a real inspiration to her peers and younger members of staff who have recently joined the organisation.
“At Wrekin, we are committed to providing career opportunities for local youngsters. In the last year we have provided 27 people with apprenticeship and training opportunities.
“We have also taken on over 40 young people via the Government’s Kickstart scheme – with a number having already gone on to secure full time employment.”
Charlotte is no stranger to awards recognition – last she was named as one of the Telford College’s top performing apprentices after she received the ‘Outstanding Achiever’ award.
Beckie Bosworth, Telford College’s employer engagement manager, said: “Charlotte started as a level three business administrator apprentice and is now the process of completing her HR CIPD level three apprenticeship.
“She is committed to her learning and continually works to inspire others.”