On Monday 5th August, the Derbyshire 3aaa County Cricket Ground hosted the 3aaa Derby Academy’s first birthday party with a celebratory awards ceremony.
The 3aaa Derby Academy celebrated their first year in style by showcasing the success of their Apprentices and employers. The afternoon was packed full of inspirational guest speakers and awards and all of the guests were treated to a delicious cream tea.
The first guest speaker was Anita Goodings, HR Manager at Vodafone. Anita inspired the audience by speaking about how she worked her way up the retail ladder and eventually made it into the HR department. Anita said “As Richard Branson once said ‘If you are offered an amazing opportunity, say yes… you can learn how to do it later’. I live by one simple rule in everything I do – How are you, what are you, who are you. I always follow my own rules by knowing what I am good at, by knowing what I am worth and by understanding that if you try hard enough and believe in yourself, you will succeed.”
Seeta Parmar, a senior member of the HSBC group then spoke passionately about how her upbringing taught her to follow her dreams and not be pushed into what her family wanted her to become. Seeta said “Although times have been tough and you don’t think you will always make it, when you sit down in the house you own with a cup of tea you can smile because you know you’ve made it”.
The 3aaa Derby Academy awards were then presented to some exceptional Derby Apprentices for their hard work throughout the year. The ‘Apprentice of the Year’ award went to Richard Morris who impressed the Derby team by being involved with several national and international projects that helped his employer move forward as a business. Richard’s employer, Anthony Stevenson, Managing Director of ASD Solutions said “We are delighted that our Apprentice Richard has been presented Apprentice of the Year with 3aaa at the ceremony held at the 3aaa Derbyshire County Cricket Club. Richard has exceeded our expectations in terms of ability, meaning we have expanded our service range and he has assisted in producing online marketing materials with an international significance. This well deserved award is testament to his dedication and professionalism and confirms to us that apprenticeships are mutually rewarding for both school leavers and employers.”
The second award of the afternoon went to Adam Brassington who received the ‘Learner Journey of the Year’ award. Adam was nominated not only by his employer but also by a number of his peers. He took the initiative prior to joining 3aaa by learning about HTML and putting together computers to support his ambition to work in the IT sector. Adam’s employer, Chris Copley, Managing Director of AGC AeroComposites said “Adam is an enthusiastic person who is eager to learn new things. He is showing great promise for the future and is growing in confidence day by day. He is always willing to tackle any problems and is inquisitive about all areas of IT, always asking questions to help improve his knowledge.
Matthew Elson, 3aaa Derby Academy Manager said “A huge thank you to all of our Apprentices and employers who joined us in celebrating our first year in Derby. We’ve made many amazing partnerships over the year, giving over 100 Apprentices their first steps into their careers and working with over 50 employers to help transform their businesses”.
Peter Marples and Di McEvoy Robinson, 3aaa Directors added “A special thank you to the Derby Academy team for all their hard work, without them the Derby Academy wouldn’t have managed to help change so many lives in the local area”.
You’ll now find a 3aaa Academy in Bedford, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Derby, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Sheffield, Tamworth and Watford.
We’ll soon be opening Academies in Guildford, Kent, Leeds, Northampton, Peterborough, Reading and Worcester.
If you’re an employer looking to take on an Apprentice or a young person looking to take your first steps into an exciting career in IT, Social Media or Accounting get in touch with us today : 0844 504 3174