We are delighted to announced that our talented team member Macy Henderson is up for the prestigious Apprentice of the Year award at the 2022 Northamptonshire Business Excellence Awards.

 

Macy, 20, started her NVQ Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care apprenticeship with Teamwork Trust in January 202 and completed in May 2022 - overcoming the challenges of lock-down to pass with flying colours. She now has a junior leadership role at our Corby site and her official title is Living and Learning Coordinator.

Macy’s commitment is one of MANY reasons she a perfect apprentice – and a very worthy finalist in these business awards.

 

In Macy’s words: “Teamwork has made me a more confident person. I have grown and I feel that what I do makes a difference to our service users here. I love seeing them laugh, smile and enjoy themselves.

 

“I was furloughed for a few months during covid and then started working, but from home. I would call service users every day and chat to them, for up to 45 minutes. Some were shorter calls than others, some didn’t want to speak, others wanted to speak every day. I loved my apprenticeship and I am so thankful I found Teamwork. I feel really privileged.”

 

Macy has type 1 diabetes. Having this condition herself means she truly understands the stigma and assumptions people place on you when you have a ‘difference’.

 

She brought with her a whole different outlook to our service users and the impact of being furloughed within three months of starting her apprenticeship impacted her mental health. However, it also gave her more determination than ever and when she returned to work – based at home for a little longer than others due to her diabetes - she supported our service users to become super resilient. She called our users daily, talked to everyone, and helped normalise what they were going through – so much so our users thrived, didn’t just survive.

 

She taught our service users with learning disabilities to use an iPad (she had to do this from the phone, to get people set up and online) and she made it fun, exciting, and entertaining – also helping parents and carers when they too got stuck. No easy task.

 

Our service users love Macy. In David’s words: “Macy is always trying her best when she is with us to be a nice person. She always makes time for us and is genuinely a kind and fun person to be around.”

 

Not all the demands of her apprenticeship could be met at Teamwork Trust – that did not stop Macy.

 

Determined to qualify, she had to go out and find relevant placements and people so she could demonstrate the necessary experience to her assessor. This included volunteering at a care home to learn how to use a hoist, as we don’t have or need one.

 

Helen Burdett-Wright, chief executive at Teamwork Trust, has congratulated Macy on being shortlisted for this prestigious award: “Macy has the personality and kindness to put all that she learns into practise. She is always the first to volunteer and the first to take up any and all training offered to her. She loves taking part, learning new things and also then sharing her skills. Her generosity of knowledge is incredible. Good luck at the awards Macy, you deserve all this recognition.”

 

• The Northamptonshire Business Excellence Awards recognise ‘exceptional businesses and business people, from global companies based locally to exciting new ventures on the up’. The awards ceremony will take place in November. Find out more about these awards here: https://allthingsbusiness.co.uk/awards/nbea/