Sophie shortlisted as Apprentice of the Year

Sophie Pomroy, an apprentice at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH), has been shortlisted in the Apprentice of the Year category of the Skills for Health Our Health Heroes Awards 2019.

Sophie has been recognised for her ability to adapt quickly to the level of responsibility she has taken on following staff changes, while also setting up the OUH Apprentices Network to support and advise other young apprentices and being an Apprenticeship Ambassador for the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) to encourage school pupils to consider apprenticeships.

She is one of three apprentices who will win the Gold, Silver and Bronze awards in the Apprentice of the Year category.

A public vote is now open which means you can vote for Sophie to be the Gold winner and overall Apprentice of the Year - public votes will make up 50 percent of the overall score, with the other 50 percent made up of judging scores which have been awarded during the shortlisting process.

You can vote for Sophie online - the public vote is open until 11 October 2019 and the Apprentice of the Year will be announced at the Skills for Health Our Health Heroes Awards ceremony in London on 20 November 2019.

John Rogers, Chief Executive of Skills for Health, says: "For the fourth year in a row these awards have struck a chord and it's been amazing to read through the nomination forms; there are some truly incredible people working within our healthcare sector who deserve to be recognised for their achievements and dedication.

"I'm delighted that Sophie has been shortlisted in this category. It will be up to the public to decide whether she takes home the national award, but all of our finalists are already worthy winners."

Sophie says: "To be shortlisted for this award is an incredible honour so early on in my career and my apprenticeship journey. I hope the recognition received for this award will inspire and engage future apprentices within OUH.

"Being an Apprenticeship Ambassador with OxLEP has been such a rewarding experience, meeting school pupils from years 7-13 and engaging them with the opportunities which apprenticeships can offer and what my journey has been so far. This is something I know I would have benefited from when I was at school."

Shilpa Bhatt, Apprenticeships Business Manager at Oxford University Hospitals, adds: "We are delighted that Sophie has been shortlisted for the Apprentice of the Year Award. She has shown excellent achievements in her work as a Business Administrator Apprentice, which has benefited not only her team but also many other departments as well.

"She has been a fantastic Apprentice Ambassador by giving young people first-hand experience of what it's like to be an apprentice at OUH and encouraging them to have a career in the NHS.

"Recently she has been instrumental in setting up an Apprentices Network in the Trust, which is due to be launched in October 2019, so that our apprentices can come together to share their experiences and support each other."

Apprenticeships with Oxford University Hospitals