Investment in staff results in Apprentice of the Year award

An IT worker from East Manchester is talk of the town after being been crowned Apprentice of the Year.

Michelle Officer who works for Manchester-based company ANS, will now go on to the regional finals of the North West Learner Awards run by the Learning and Skills Council after winning the Greater Manchester stage.

Judges chose 20-year-old Michelle, from Gorton, over two other finalists at an awards ceremony at Manchester’s Lowry Hotel on Thursday.

Michelle was nominated for the award by Skills Solutions, which helps train and recruit young people in apprenticeships. The company works with more than 1,200 employers across Greater Manchester.

Michelle was helped to achieve her Apprenticeship and Advanced Apprenticeship qualification by support staff at Skills Solutions after she joined ANS two years ago.

She started work as a junior at ANS, a technology infrastructure specialist which provides IT hardware, software and support to businesses.

She said: “I had just finished an Advanced Vocational Certificate in IT at Hyde Clarendon College and found work at ANS. There I met another employee who was completing their apprenticeship through Skills Solutions so I contacted them to see if I could get one as well.
“Once I was accepted I completed my IT Practitioner NVQ Level 2 within a few weeks and went on to complete Level 3. Since then, my responsibilities have grown with ANS – both on a technical level and in terms of my customer service role.”

Kelvin Coyle at Skills Solutions said: “Michelle’s is an outstanding success story and we didn’t hesitate in putting her forward for this award. Despite her relatively young age she has quickly assumed an important role within ANS, becoming the first point of contact with a number of high profile customers. Her work has been highly praised by both the customers themselves and Michelle’s line managers.”

Scott Fletcher, of ANS Group, says: “Michelle has progressed quickly with ANS since joining the company – and this is testament to her determination and high levels of motivation.
“She is a worthy winner of the Apprentice of the Year Award and we wish her well in the regional – and hopefully national – finals later on this year.
“It’s so refreshing to work with someone with such a ‘can-do’ attitude that sees every problem as a challenge and never shies away from learning something new. She is a huge asset to our company.”

Supported by a mentor at Skills Solutions, Michelle has continued her training since completing her initial with two further Microsoft training courses as part of her Advanced Apprenticeship.

Michelle won a trophy and certificate at the awards ceremony as well as £250 prize money.