2024 Apprenticeship Awards

Welsh Rugby Union hub officer Christopher Meyers has used the skills gained on Higher Apprenticeship (Level 5) in Leadership and Management to make rugby more accessible to young people.

Chris has developed his skills across different sectors whilst ensuring that pupils of Ysgol Emrys Ap Iwan, Abergele and young people and staff within the WRU are provided with quality experiences rooted in rugby and data analysis.

His work promoting equality, diversity and inclusion addressed female participation and wheelchair accessible rugby both within the school and within the club that he manages.

He also ensured that more club volunteers had learning and development pathways to support them.

Chris has developed positive relationships with all of his stakeholders and is determined to use his leadership and management skills to bring rugby into the lives of more people. All his work within the school was aligned to school curriculum changes.

A Higher Apprenticeship (Level 4) in Management has helped Lorraine Orger increase her knowledge and confidence at ClwydAlyn. a registered social landlord managing over 6,200 homes in North and Mid Wales.

Having been promoted to staff forum chair, Lorraine helped to introduce new HR processes, and along with a colleague, created a competition to get staff ideas about efficiency savings.

“Lorraine’s confidence has increased with her knowledge and we all see how much she has grown and developed in the last few years,” said her line manager, Rachel Storr Barber.

In addition to her job, she arranged ClwydAlyn Fun Days for two years and for packs of flags, cups, banners and balloons to be distributed to the company’s care homes and external projects to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

Mel Davis had no previous formal qualifications when she began her learning journey in 2017 with a Higher Apprenticeship (Level 4) in Advice and Guidance and was assessed as being dyslexic. Grŵp Llandrillo Menai adapted assessments to suit her learning style and Mel has not looked back since.

Her commitment to learning and the people she supports at Conwy Employment Hub won Mel an apprenticeship award in 2019. She has since completed qualifications at Levels 3, 5 and 7 in counselling, coaching and mentoring and a Level 4 Diploma in Project Management.

She has also designed a unique training programme called 'Confidently you' to support people to build their confidence and social skills and secured Government funding to expand the programme which has been life changing.

Originally designed to support 30 people, the programme has helped 60 who have formed their own community support network and many have found employment.