AN APPRENTICE and employer from Chester are celebrating after being named as finalists in a prestigious awards scheme.
Chester-based Jigsaw Curzon House Day Nursery is competing in the employer of the year category and apprentice Todd Lownes is a finalist in the young apprentice of the year category at the North West Apprenticeship Awards which mark the achievements of apprentices and the businesses that employ them.
The nursery employs 17 apprentices and works closely with YMCA Training to deliver the development.
Todd is a student at University Church of England Academy on work placement at Grosvenor Pulford Hotel and Spa and receives support from West Cheshire College.
Clair Doyle, manager of Jigsaw Curzon House Day Nursery, said: “Having worked with apprentices for over nine years we have seen the many benefits they bring to businesses and are proud to have been recognised for our ongoing work.
“At Jigsaw we have seen apprenticeships being the start of a great career time and time again and we gain great satisfaction in developing our employees to achieve their goals in life and their career.”
Todd, 15, said: “I am so pleased and honoured to be chosen as a finalist for the North West Apprenticeship Awards. I have just completed my Young Apprentice Programme at West Cheshire College and I loved every minute of it.
“The college arranged my work placement one day a week at the Grosvenor Pulford Hotel and Spa and I have enjoyed working in a busy kitchen environment. I have learnt so much over the past two years and this has helped me to decide on a career in the hospitality industry. I now aim to follow my dream by working hard, acquiring new skills and eventually becoming a head chef in a large hotel.”
The winners will be announced at a glittering ceremony to be held at the Midland Hotel in Manchester on May 25, with special guest ITN and ITV Granada presenter Lucy Meacock hosting the awards.
More than 280 applications were submitted for the prestigious North West awards and from those, 23 finalists were selected to compete across the eight categories. The eight regional winners will then go on to compete in the coveted national finals.
Sue Price, regional director for the National Apprenticeship Service in the North West, said: “The apprenticeship awards are held to recognise and reward excellence in learning, skills and achievement. They are a true celebration of the region’s commitment to apprenticeships and we are really excited about finding out who the winners are.