THE youngest apprentice in her group came out tops at the annual awards of North East Worcestershire College – one of the partners in the Worcester News 100 in 100 apprentices campaign.

Cayleigh Roddam, an 18-year-old apprentice from Redditch, has been employed by Toolstation in the town for almost two years and at the Unique Skills People Awards was named business administration achiever of the year.

In their assessment, the judges recorded: “Cayleigh was the youngest in the administration day release group, but participated fully and was always willing and eager to learn new skills and assist others with tasks.

“She has now progressed within the business and gained a promotion, while continuing her studies, embarking on NVQ at level 3 business administration.”

Miss Roddam was presented with her award by Eve Pollard, former editor of the Sunday Mirror and the Sunday Express, at a ceremony at Bromsgrove’s Holiday Inn hotel.

She said: “One of the most appealing aspects of doing an apprenticeship is the money you earn, along with the qualification you achieve throughout.

“I know this has been the deciding factor for a lot of my friends considering what to do career-wise in the future. I find that I am able to afford to buy myself nice clothes and go on holidays that a lot of young people my age aren’t in a financial position to do.”

As part of its continued development programme, Toolstation works in close partnership with NEW College in the delivery of various apprenticeships, team-leading NVQs and bespoke training.

James Allen, general manager, said: “There is no doubt in our minds that the qualification that my junior management team undertook has given them a far more rounded and wider view of the workplace.

“I would recommend this approach to training the team to anyone who is prepared to commit to supporting the college.”

For more information, visit worcesternews.co.uk/100.