UK Training Industry Press Releases

VT Group (VT) learner, Stacey Sharples, has been named Apprentice of the Year, Northern Ireland 2010.  Stacey is the overall winner of this year's Apprenticeship Awards, which are run by DELNI (The Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland). 

Stacey was presented with her award by Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey, at a prestigious event at the Europa Hotel, Belfast. VT learner, Louise Neeson, also secured the Personal Achievement category at the awards.

Stacey began her training with leading training provider, VT Group, in 2007, completing an Apprenticeship which included NVQ at Level 2 in Retail.  She joined retail group, Mango, in 2009 and continued her learning with VT, working on an Advanced Apprenticeship with NVQ at Level 3.  She has since been promoted to manager of Mango's House of Fraser franchise in Belfast.

Cathy Stevenson, Stacey's learning adviser at VT, said: "Stacey is hardworking, motivated, enthusiastic and dedicated to developing her skills.  She deserves recognition for all that she has achieved in the last couple of years, and I'm thrilled that she has won this award."  Cathy Stevenson is also a recent award winner, gaining a City and Guilds Medal for Excellence for her exceptional and inspirational work with VT's vocational learners.

Another VT learner, Louise Neeson, was also singled out for her achievements at the Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Awards, winning the Personal Achievement category.  Louise, who is partially sighted, has overcome a number of obstacles to complete successfully an Apprenticeship in Retail. 

"Louise is an astonishing example to any learner undertaking an Apprenticeship programme. She has demonstrated, that no matter what difficulties they face, it is possible to overcome them through the sheer determination to succeed," says her VT learning adviser, Claire McDowell. 

Stacey and Louise were selected from over 10,000 Apprentices who are working towards NVQs, technical certificates and essential skills in Northern Ireland. 

VT Group is the UK's largest training provider and commenced operating in Northern Ireland in September 2007, delivering Hospitality and Retail Apprenticeships and NVQs in the workplace.  Over the past three years over seven hundred people have joined learning programmes with VT with 350 having completed their programmes to date.  Many of these have already enjoyed promotions at work.  Seventeen VT learners have recently been nominated for this  year's VQ Day Awards.

-ENDS-

Editors Notes

VT Group's Training business has over 22,000 young people on work-based learning programmes including Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships.

VT Group's Training business operates in a wide range of industry sectors including engineering, automotive, hospitality, retail, care and active leisure.

VT Group's Training business is contracted with the Learning & Skills Council, Welsh Assembly Government, Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland and Skills Development Scotland for the delivery of government-funded workforce development training programmes all over England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

VT Group's Training business operates from 20 offices across the UK.

VT Group is the UK's largest provider of education and training support services, employing over 12,000 people with its headquarters in Southampton, UK. The Group operates in a wide range of markets including education, defence, secure communications, waste and nuclear services.

For the year ended 31 March 2009 VT Group reported turnover for its continuing operations of £1,096 million (2008: £845 million) and Group Underlying Profit Before Tax of £86.6 million (2008: £61.6 million). The order book for continuing operations was around £4.5 billion as of the end of March 2009.

More information can be found at http:///www.vttraining.co.uk