Apprentice of the Year: Poppy Burnside
We are delighted to announce that the Young Professionals Apprentice of the Year 2023, was won by OEG’s very own Poppy Burnside. You may not be aware that this was the inaugural event for the Young Professional Awards, Insider, Yorkshire, held on the 2nd February 2023. It was attended by over 350 people from the business world including stakeholders and young rising stars of the future.
A few words from Poppy
‘I’m very grateful to have been presented with the Young Apprentice of the Year 2023. Being around so many influential and inspiring young professionals was an amazing experience. It means so much to me to have won the award. I feel hard work pays off and I will continue to support our current apprentices with their journey at Operam to create their own career path.”
Eddie Austin, CEO
“It is incredibly pleasing to see Poppy win ‘The Young Professionals Apprentice of the Year’ at the recent ceremony. I feel the recognition is testament to the commitment and hard work she has exhibited with us. Furthermore, the award underpins the importance of investing in young talent through an apprenticeship programme. I believe the measurable return for all stakeholders cannot be underestimated. The OEG succession plan and career pathway has a stronger platform to grow from, because of our investment in our supportive apprenticeship programme.”
About Poppy’s apprenticeship and career journey
Poppy started her career in Provide Education’s West Yorkshire branch, as a Service Administrator Apprentice, at 17 years old. At that time, Poppy wanted to work and earn money whilst completing her NVQ in business studies. Since passing her apprenticeship and NVQ with flying colours, Poppy has completed her traineeship to become a Primary Consultant. In addition, she was also appointed OEG’s first Apprenticeship Ambassador. Do you know what an Apprentice Ambassador does? Alongside her normal duties, Poppy advocates for apprenticeship roles within OEG, visits colleges, job centres, meets with career advisors and education networks. Furthermore, she also welcomes new OEG apprentices and acts as a workplace buddy to support them. Poppy is keen to support the development of more apprenticeships within the company. Ideally having one per location so that colleagues may experience first-hand, the benefits an apprentice can bring whilst supporting the business.
OEG supporting apprenticeships
How does OEG support apprentices? OEG prides itself on training and development of its staff, recognising that the impact not only benefits employees but the business as well. Apprentices at OEG are supported through in-house training, shadowing, one on one peer
mentoring, as well as through college courses. They also benefit from Poppy as an Apprentice Ambassador and a clear career pathway to work towards.
You may not know that currently, OEG have 4 apprentices. Furthermore, over the last 5 years, OEG has successfully supported 9 individuals who are furthering their careers as full- time employees within OEG. However, we are always looking for new talent to support and develop. So, if you know anyone who may be interested in an apprenticeship at OEG, tell them to send their CV to careers@operam-education.co.uk
Celebrate Apprenticeship Week!
You may not know that it is Apprenticeship week! The theme for this year is ‘Skills for Life.’ We feel there is no better example than OEG’s Poppy. If you want to learn more about apprenticeships, you can visit the government website by clicking here