Meet the Leeds Trinity University student and NHS manager who has been shortlisted in the West Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards

Leeds Trinity University student Leanne Wilson has made the shortlist for the West Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards 2022.

Set up by the Yorkshire Evening Post, in conjunction with the Halifax Courier and Wakefield Express, the awards recognise the value of apprentice schemes and how they can transform lives.

Leanne, 39, has been shortlisted for the ‘Higher or Degree Apprenticeship of the Year’ category in recognition of her achievements managing a specialist team at Leeds Community Healthcare Trust.

She has been completing the University's Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship over the last three years.

In this time, Leanne has had to balance a challenging professional role in the NHS with her degree studies and the needs of her young family, against the backdrop of a global pandemic.

Since starting the qualification, she has secured a promotion, built stronger relationships with her team and volunteered to share her experiences and inspire others around the country by speaking at Chartered Management Institute webinars.

Leanne recently achieved a First Class Honours Degree and Distinction for the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship Diploma at Leeds Trinity University.

She said: “The past few years have been a real challenge, completing the degree apprenticeship whilst working full time in the NHS during a pandemic has certainly kept me on my toes.

“I’m immensely grateful to the team at Leeds Trinity University for their support and encouragement.

"Being able to achieve my qualifications has allowed me to grow in confidence so much that I have been able to support other students by offering tips and peer support.”

The winners across 12 categories will be announced at a glittering ceremony at the McCall Suite, in the home of Bradford City Football Club, on Thursday June 9.

Tickets are available here.

Former BBC Look North presenter Harry Gration will co-host the awards with this year's winner of The Apprentice, West Yorkshire's own Harpreet Kaur.

Claire Newhouse, director of Leeds Trinity’s Centre for Apprenticeships, Work-based Learning and Skills said: “Leanne’s nomination is deserved recognition for her outstanding achievements over the last three years and we are proud to have played a role in her development, as well as hundreds of other apprentices at Leeds Trinity.

“With this in mind, we are delighted to sponsor the ‘Mentor of the Year’ category at the West Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards, which aligns with our overall supportive approach to preparing our students for the workplace.

"I look forward to attending the event in June and celebrating with Leanne.”

With close to a million active apprenticeships across England alone, apprenticeship schemes have fast become a route to future employment for thousands of individuals.

Leeds Trinity introduced its first degree apprenticeships five years ago with a cohort of just 15 apprentices on the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship programme.

The University’s Centre for Apprenticeships, Work-based Learning and Skills is now home to nearly 800 apprentices undertaking higher and degree apprenticeship programmes and work-based learning provision.

Carolyn Nelson, head of medicines management at Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “As Leanne’s immediate line manager, I have seen the impact the degree apprenticeship has had on her, and the determination and enthusiasm with which Leanne embraced the opportunity to study at degree level whilst working full time.

“It has been a pleasure to watch Leanne’s progress and it is clear that completion of the programme enabled her to develop from a team lead to a confident and capable manager.

"This is just the beginning of Leanne’s leadership journey, and I am excited to see her continued development over the coming years.”