Meet the finalists: Apprentice of the Year

Daisy Abson, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners

Daisy Abson has finished her Level 3 Electrical and Mechanical Engineering apprenticeship, working at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners’ (CCEP) Wakefield site.

She is responsible for the maintenance and performance of production lines on site which is the largest soft drinks plant by volume in Europe. She helps to keep the lines running safely and efficiently, adhering to the highest quality standards, while also ensuring that procedures are reviewed periodically to ensure the team’s safety.

She has introduced annual checks to improve the electrical safety of heavy-duty vehicles on site and spearheaded a project to remove air leaks. She has also played an instrumental role in solving breakdowns on complex machinery to ensure the lines at Wakefield are able to run effectively.

Caitlin Bolton, Prima Cheese

Caitlin Bolton is currently completing her Business Administrator Level 3 Standard Apprenticeship with Sunderland College. Her role at Prima Cheese is within the UK Sales Department, which supports the overall effectiveness of the organisation. 

She has conducted research surrounding the formal and informal processes she follows at work to identify where improvements could be made. 

She has based a project on creating a new induction booklet to train staff when they start in her department. She has also completed a demonstration to new members of the admin team recently on the process for taking phone calls. 

Ellie Edmonds, ABP

Ellie Edmonds has recently been promoted to HR Coordinator and has passed her Level 3 in Business Administration. She is involved in many projects and initiatives on-site and at the group level. In addition, she is the Youth Ambassador for ABP and is engaged with its female talent community. 

As an ambassador, she was asked to speak at ABP's first Apprenticeship Conference in February 2022. This involved Ellie having to present the steering group's learnings and findings to over 100 attendees, including senior directors of the business and the chief operating officer of ABP UK.

She has also been featured on ABP's social media channels as an ambassador for the company and the Meat Businesswomen website celebrating National Apprenticeship Week.

Liam Harker, Hovis 

Liam Harker is a Hovis Engineering Apprentice, who is recognised as having an excellent eye for detail and takes an enormous amount of pride in his work. 

He has welding, cutting, grinding and fabricating skills. He has jointly managed the creation of a new training panel for electrical skills on-site and when working with contractors he will often takes the lead.

He recently recycled and reused redundant pieces of kit, saving the team financially through refurbishment rather than purchasing a new parts. 

His knowledge of belts in particular allowed him to lead a project to review relative benefits and past poor performance of belt components. He is also training other colleagues in this skill.