Apprentice of the Month - February
To recognise the hard work of learners, our Tutors are nominating those who are doing exceptionally well throughout their apprenticeship to be awarded as our Apprentice of the Month.
Congratulations to Catarina Neves who has been awarded as our Apprentice of the month in February! Catarina was nominated by her tutor Janet following her nomination for the CECA Apprentice of the Year award by her employer. Currently 8 months into her Level 3 Business Administrator Standard with John Sisk & Sons, Caitlin is progressing extremely well within her new career.
Catarina, having not previously considered the construction industry has, it seems, found a passion and a career. She has a great attitude and strong communication skills, as well as a drive to succeed. Entering the world of work and having to deal with a variety of stakeholders, a complex project, and a male dominated workforce is no easy task, but one which she taken to like a duck to water.
Catarina’s employer said:
“I was immediately impressed by Catarina's professional attitude. It was clear she’d researched the industry and our business. She answered questions thoughtfully and passionately, despite this being an area she was unfamiliar with. I saw great potential for her to develop and thrive. I didn’t hesitate in progressing her to the next stage." - John Sisk & Son’s project manager, Peter Dawson.
“Catarina has embedded herself in the project team and engages daily with the workforce; the site is a very male dominated environment that Catarina isn’t intimidated by. Entering the industry at such a young age shows Catarina's great ability to adapt to any situation and her determination to succeed. She’s a great example of a passionate young person using her initiative to find an opportunity in construction that isn’t the typical technical or engineering role. In time she’ll be a great advocate of the diversity of roles and the skills that are needed in our exciting industry.”
“Catarina works in Sisk’s communications team delivering Leeds City Council’s £173m Public Transport Improvement Programme. Her duties include clearly communicating key messages about the complicated scheme to hundreds of businesses and the public.”
“Leeds City Council communications project manager, Yvonne Roberts said: “I see Catarina developing as a professional and knowledgeable colleague. I’m impressed by her initiative.”
“With no previous construction knowledge, Catarina has developed key skills to translate technical detail into simple words and images that the public can understand and relate to.”
“Her written skills are excellent, and she’s developing language that resonates with the intended audience, from the public to the manager of John Lewis. She writes text for leaflets, posters and letters, and plans how these are displayed and distributed; always with the
stakeholder in mind. She’s also developed a weekly bulletin for business owners that gives a snapshot of next week’s construction plans.”
A big well done to Catarina! We wish the best of luck on achieving the Apprentice of the Year award, we have our fingers crossed!