Ollie Clayton has been named Apprentice of the Year in the Hendy Group awards for his outstanding work as the company’s first sales apprentice.
Clayton joined Hendy Group in Portsmouth 18 months ago after learning more about the company and its apprentice offering at a local careers fair.
He was described by colleagues as clearly demonstrating dedication to their chosen career path.
Hendy Group director of people & organisational development Sarah Martyn said: “Ollie shows us that apprenticeships programmes are key to the future talent pipeline, and we have no doubt he will now go from strength to strength within the sales department.”
This accolade coincides with National Apprenticeship Week and Martyn said apprentices are integral to the future success of the company.
She said: “Investing in our future talent is key to long-term business sustainability and growth.
“We look for apprentices who really want a career and we commit to providing that.”
In the last few years, Hendy has introduced apprentices in a range of roles, such as marketing, business administration, and sales, in addition to the more traditional technician apprentices.
Hendy currently has 65 apprentices working across the business with 19 due to graduate this year.
A key component in the training for apprentices is support from managers who receive tailored training so that they can support apprentices from day one and each year chief executive Paul Hendy invites new and graduating apprentices for a special day off site to celebrate their contribution and achievement.
Martyn added: “I am immensely proud of the contribution our apprentices make to Team Hendy and I’m excited to continue to develop our apprenticeship offering and support them to have a successful career with us.”
Freelance writer for AM, Tom Seymour has been a specialist B2B journalist covering the automotive sector for over 14 years. He started his freelance career in 2015 and currently writes for a variety of automotive, business and technology publications.
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