An award-winning apprentice is encouraging other people to join the care sector after securing her ‘dream job’.
Lily Mercer, a reablement care and support worker at North Yorkshire Council, was honoured at the recent North Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards.
The awards, hosted by The Yorkshire Post, pay tribute to the region’s most dedicated apprentices, employers, training providers and mentors and were held at the Cedar Court Hotel in Harrogate.
Miss Mercer, 27 and based in Skipton, was named advanced apprentice of the year and also received a special recognition certificate in the health and public service apprenticeship category.
Miss Mercer said:
“I feel absolutely honoured and over the moon to have won, just being nominated felt wonderful.
"I was extremely shocked.
“I was successfully appointed to a team leader post in the same week that I won the awards which I am incredibly proud of. I feel all my hard work and dedication has now got me my dream job.”
“I learned lots of new skills every day which meant I could put them into practice within my role. I was also able to attend extra training courses, which enabled me to gain further knowledge,”
“In addition, I had the opportunity to complete Management Learning Sets within North Yorkshire Council, where we discuss and solve workplace challenges.
"This was practical, and knowledge based and gave me the opportunity to develop my leadership skills.”
Miss Mercer has mentored colleagues through their Level 2 Apprenticeships, supporting them with digital tools, communication skills, and confidence-building.
In addition to Miss Mercer’s success, the council’s adult health and social care apprenticeship programme was named training provider/programme of the year, beating seven other finalists.
North Yorkshire Council’s head of learning and development, Louise Bell, said:
“Lily is a shining example of this success.
"Her achievements highlight the impact of our apprenticeship upskills programme and reflect the quality of training and support we strive to deliver.
"We are excited to see what the future holds for her.”
Since 2016, the North Yorkshire Council-owned property consultancy has taken on 43 apprentices who have been offered sponsored training with a progression through to degree level, across a range of specialisms.
More details on apprenticeships at North Yorkshire Council can be found on the website here.
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