A Stalybridge teenager has been recognised for his hard work and dedication to his apprenticeship programme.
Jerome Dias, 18, a business/customer service apprentice for the Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation (GMCVO) has won our ‘Apprentice Star’ award, a monthly accolade that recognises apprentices who have made an exceptional contribution to their role.
GMCVO is the voluntary sector support organisation for Greater Manchester. Based in Ardwick, its activities cover a range of projects, partnerships, services and networks across the region.
Jerome, a former student at Ashton Sixth Form College, started his apprenticeship with GMCVO in September, and has already proved to be an asset to the charity. His main responsibility is overseeing the St Thomas Conference Centre, a recently refurbished Grade 2 Georgian Church, managed by GMCVO.
His duties include managing the meeting rooms including taking bookings, meeting preparation, arranging catering and general housekeeping. He is responsible for promoting the conference centre and its services, dealing with contractors, and supporting other GMCVO staff in marketing, website and general administrative work.
GMCVO’s operations manager, Tanya Coutts, who nominated Jerome for the award, says:
“We were initially apprehensive at taking an apprentice on – we’ve never done this before – but it’s been such a worthwhile move.
“Jerome is a great worker, he’s diligent, professional organised, and excellent at managing his workload and the essential routines for running a busy conference centre.
“He has a pleasant manner which is important as a lot of his role is customer facing – taking bookings over the phone, meeting and greeting visitors – and his confidence is increasing each day.
“I am delighted that he has won this award and look forward to developing his skills further in the future.”
Apprentice, Jerome comments:
“I am really enjoying my role here at GMCVO and can’t believe how much I have grown both in confidence and in my abilities, just in three months.
“When I left school, I had good grades but no relevant work experience. My apprenticeship, including my training with The Apprentice Academy, has given me the necessary skills needed for the workplace and I’m eager to keep learning.”