TWO Gwent youngsters were among the stars at the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru 2021.

The prestigious annual event, held virtually this year, showcased 35 finalists who have excelled on the Welsh Government’s Apprenticeship and Traineeship Programmes and gone the extra mile to achieve success during these unprecedented times.

Among those receiving awards were Jessica Apps and Thibaud Gailliard, winners of the Traineeship Learner of the Year for Engagement and Level 1 respectively, who both had inspiring stories to tell.

Jessica, 19, moved from Botswana to begin a new life in Blaenavon with her mum and younger sister in November 2019. Now she is described as a “superb role model” and is setting her sights on a teaching career.

A Traineeship Creative Engagement Programme with Sgiliau Cyf developed Jessica’s passion for photography and creative writing.

She is now studying ‘A’ levels at Coleg Gwent with the ultimate goal of becoming a teacher.

Thibaud, 21, from Ebbw Vale, could speak little English and had no formal qualifications or previous work experience when he arrived in Wales as a shy 16-year-old, following the loss of his mother to cancer.

Now Thibaud is fluent in English and his learning journey was described as “incredible”.

He achieved a Traineeship Engagement Programme in Creative Media and a Foundation Apprenticeship in IT delivered by Risca-based training provider Sgiliau Cyf who now employ him as lead administrator

Aspire Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil collected the Large Employer of the Year Award for its Shared Apprenticeship Programme, which has plugged a manufacturing skills gap whilst tackling high unemployment across two local authorities.

The programme benefits companies who share learners to achieve units towards their apprenticeship.

Aspire is now working with both Coleg y Cymoedd, who link with Coleg Gwent and Coleg Merthyr Tydfil to foster the next generation of skilled workers through apprenticeships.

The Apprenticeship Awards Cymru are jointly organised by the Welsh Government and the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW), with Openreach, the UK’s digital network business and passionate supporter of apprenticeships, the headline sponsor.

The Apprenticeship Programme in Wales is funded by the Welsh Government with support from the European Social Fund.

Congratulating the winners, Minister for the Economy, Vaughan Gething, said: “Our award winners have excelled via the Welsh Government’s Apprenticeship and Traineeship programmes and gone the extra mile to achieve success during unprecedented and extremely challenging times. That’s why the Welsh Government has committed to creating a further 125,000 Apprenticeship places over the next five years.

’’We are a small country, but we have big ambitions, and our aim is to create a culture in Wales where recruiting an apprentice becomes the norm for employers.”