West Lothian-based Andrew Gunn, who works at The Edinburgh Clinic, received the Award at London’s Oxo Tower in November 2017.
The 21-year-old said “I was delighted to win the award. I was surprised as I was up against some fantastic candidates. It is something I will never forget.”
After 930 nominations from across the UK, the judges shortlisted just 33 finalists and regional winners - with 26 going forward to a public vote. After almost 6,000 votes were cast, Andrew was named Apprentice of the Year.
Andrew came to QA Apprenticeships 3 years ago after deciding an apprenticeship was the correct educational route for him.
“Personally for me, further education was not the route I wanted to take after leaving school. I wanted to get a head start, get my foot on the employment ladder and work my way up within a company. Fortunately, QA Apprenticeships managed to find me an interview with The Edinburgh Clinic and I was lucky enough to secure the job. 3 years on, I have gone from Apprentice Marketing Assistant to Business Support Manager, and achieved Project Management qualifications and my SVQ in Business Administration."
QA Apprenticeships offer a range of fantastic modern apprenticeships, giving their apprentices a career instead of stepping stone roles. 92% of apprentices secure permanent employment upon completions - 20% higher than the national average. Most recently, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMI) awarded QA the highest grade achieved by any provider in Scotland.
Jonathan Warner, Director of Scotland, says “We are very proud of the work we do across Scotland, but there is no prouder moment than seeing our apprentices and our clients reaping the rewards of all the hard work and effort they have put in. Andrew and The Edinburgh Clinic are the perfect example of this. I look forward to seeing where his career takes him in the future.”
Andrew is at the forefront of the evolution of education, and is representing the next generation of our work force. The award he has achieved is not only a proud moment for him and his employer but for all the young people of Scotland, providing them a proven and successful alternative route in education.
About QA Group
QA is the UK’s leading learning organisation providing training, consultancy, apprenticeships and post graduate degrees on a range of technical, business and leadership subjects. With over 22 UK training centres – including their Apprenticeships and Consulting Academies – and a range of online learning options, QA offer an unparalleled set of learning solutions to both private and public sector organisations.
For more information on QA’s highly regarded, tech, business and marketing apprenticeship programmes in Scotland click here.