Bury College Apprentices Celebrated as Part of National Apprenticeship Week 2025

Our Apprenticeship Star Awards evening as part of National Apprenticeship Week celebrated the contributions of apprentices to their organisations and showcased the benefits of these programmes.

The aim of National Apprenticeship Week is to bring people together who are passionate about apprenticeships and skills to celebrate the value.

The overarching theme for National Apprenticeship Week is Skills for Life and this was perfectly encapsulated by our Awards Evening.

Here are some glowing quotes from some of our winners and their employers.

Daisy May Shenton – Early Years Practitioner Level 2, Midgetgems Childcare

Daisy collected an award after being nominated by Nicola Armstrong, Learning & Skills Coach – Childcare.

“Daisy has made an excellent start to her Apprenticeship. She has shown excellent dedication and commitment to stay on track with her assignments and other Apprenticeship work. She has worked excellently alongside the setting and is well on track with all aspects of the qualification. She is producing work to a distinction level, which is great to see.” – Nicola Armstrong

Daisy was thrilled to have won an award saying, “I'm honoured to have won and I'm proud of myself and my achievement. Thank you to Midgetgems Childcare for giving me the opportunity to learn and grow.”

Charlotte Cassidy, Childminder/Manager at Midgetgems Childcare, was also full of praise for Daisy and the Apprenticeship programme, “I think apprenticeships are invaluable. They also provide businesses with the opportunity to train the apprentice from the ground up.”

Ross McFerran - Early Years Lead Practitioner Level 5, Canterbury’s Nursery

Ross was awarded a Star Award after being nominated by Adele Royds, Learning & Skills Coach – Childcare.

“Observing Ross for his Level 5 qualification was like nothing I have witnessed in my whole childcare career. He took 30 children on a journey that morning. It was like the children had taken a trip to an interactive theatre. Off we flew on a magic carpet to Julia Donaldson land where children were enthralled with visits to all the different worlds. Ross extended all areas of learning and development and led the team around him with skill. I was in awe of the activity and looking at the nursery social media shows me this is a regular occurrence in the setting and was not just for his observation. I believe the setting are lucky to have him on board as he extends children’s cultural capital without even leaving the nursery setting! What an inspirational leader!” – Adele Royds

Ross sent his thanks to Canterbury’s Nursery saying, “I would love to thank Canterbury’s for inspiring me to be the practitioner that I am today, and I hope to progress into a higher role with Canterbury’s in the future."

Jenni Robinson, Owner/Manager of Canterbury's Nursery, had this to say about Ross, “Ross has brought fun, passion, creativity, inspiration, dedication, and leadership - the list is endless.

Ross is an incredibly passionate person who always goes above and beyond."

Ashleigh Fletcher - Early Years Educator Level 3, Mulberry Bush

Ashleigh was awarded a Star Award for her efforts during her placement, also nominated by Adele Royds.

Adele had this to say about Ashleigh, “Ashleigh put everything into her Level 3 Childcare Apprenticeship. She completed early and achieved a distinction. She worked hard throughout and always went above and beyond, attaching photos of activities that she had undertaken, researched and referenced her work. She would also support her course mates, offering to help others who struggled. Ashleigh wrote essays that went beyond the set criteria and added in fresh ideas and thoughts. She was a joy to teach, and I miss having her on my caseload. A wonderful childcare student who strives for children to have the best out of everything she does. Even in the rain!”

Ashleigh commented on how rewarding her apprenticeship experience was, “Seeing the results of the activities planned with the children and their enjoyment of them was the most rewarding part of my apprenticeship. My current work with Special Educational Needs (SEN) Children is incredibly rewarding and is something I would like to continue.”

Leanne Ogden, Trainee Deputy Manager at Mulberry Bush was glowing with pride saying, “We are really proud of Ashleigh and her achievement, there was a lot of nominations, and the recognition reflects the effort she put into her apprenticeship."