Publish date: 20 July 2023
Northumbria Healthcare apprentice wins North East Higher Apprentice of the Year
Matthew Dawson, who works in our workforce development team, has won the North East Higher Apprentice of the Year at the NE Apprenticeship Awards.
The NE Apprenticeship Awards is an inaugural awards ceremony which has celebrated apprenticeships across the North East. It has recognised the hard work of both the individuals and organisations involved in apprenticeships, and how they help to shape our future.
He said: “It feels amazing to win this award and I’m so grateful for my team who have helped me with my development. I’ve enjoyed all of my apprenticeships and the wide range of opportunities they have given me.
“I whole-heartedly recommend anyone who’s interested in doing an apprenticeship, to do one. They are tailored to your aspirations and suit your career ambitions. It doesn’t matter what your age, band, or job role is – there’s an apprenticeship for anyone.”
Kirstie Ford, our workforce development project manager, said: “I am very proud of Matt for this achievement. It’s been a pleasure to manage him and see how he has progressed and developed his knowledge and skills.
“He is a great example of how apprenticeships can be used to support career progression and create capable workforces within a business or organisation.”
Matthew started his career at Northumbria Healthcare at 17 years old in 2018, as a Level 2 Business Administrator Apprentice. In this role, he was involved in medical records and the apprenticeship team. After completing that, he was successful in gaining a permanent role as a band 2 administrator in learning and development, before continuing onto Level 3 in Business Administration.
Matthew then had the opportunity to be involved in a team project, where he gained a band 4 position in workforce development and completed the Level 4 Project Management Apprenticeship.
After realising that project management was a passion of his, he enrolled on to the Level 5 and 6 Integrated Degree Apprenticeship, which he is now completing with Northumbria University.
During this time, he was successful in attaining a band 6 position as a specialist practitioner in workforce development. This role involves maintaining high standards of investments and supporting 12,000 staff with their continuous professional development.
Matthew has also identified training needs to become a manager and has enrolled onto the New and Transition managers induction programme, delivered by our organisational development team.
Karen Hookham, our apprenticeship coordinator, said: “It’s great to see apprenticeships being embedded within the organisation and being widely used throughout the various business units.
“They support the future workforce plan, as well as Our Community Promise to create jobs and apprenticeships in our region. This plays a key role in boosting employment and providing more opportunities to our communities.”
If you’re interested in looking for an apprenticeship and would like to know about our opportunities, please contact apprenticeshipqueries
Media contact:
Jesse Ngonyama, marketing assistant apprentice, Northumbria Healthcare
Jesse.