Arco’s Chelsea Baxter has been named Advanced Apprentice of the Year at the inaugural East Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards, with Arco runner-up in the Large Employer of the Year category.
The awards, which celebrate apprentices, employers, colleges, trainers, and supporters across the region, were held last week at the MKM Stadium in Hull.
Chelsea, an E-Procurement Analyst at Arco, picked up the win after recently completing her Level 3 improvement technician apprenticeship with distinction.
Chelsea said: “It’s scary going back into a learning environment so long after finishing university in 2014, but I had fantastic support from Arco, particularly from my manager Paul Burton, which made it not so scary.
“The apprenticeship took a lot of work and it’s fab to see that acknowledged with this award.”
Arco, the UK and Ireland’s leading safety specialist, was highly commended in the Large Employer of the Year award, which was won by BAE Systems.
Arco’s Future Experts programme was launched in 2015 and is an important part of the company’s talent development strategy.
Apprentices benefit from a blend of on-the-job training and formal education, with 100% of apprentices having secured permanent positions within the company after completing their training, and 75% remaining employed at Arco for at least 12 months after completion.
Arco plans to expand its apprenticeship offerings in the future, increasing the number of higher and degree-level apprenticeships available to employees across the business.
Darren Ford, Arco’s head of organisational development and learning & development, said: “We are so proud of our colleague Chelsea for winning this well-deserved award, and thrilled to be highly commended as a business for our apprenticeship programme.
“At Arco, we believe that investing in the future means investing in our apprentices. The recognition at the East Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards is a testament to our dedication to empowering individuals and driving business success through our Future Experts programme.
“We are proud of what we have achieved and excited for the future of our programme and of our apprentices.”
Arco has also been shortlisted as a finalist in two categories at the British Recruitment Awards 2024, which will be held on Tuesday 5th November. The Hull-based safety specialist is in the running for In-House Recruitment Team of the Year (1,000-4,999 employees) and Onboarding Initiative of the Year.