Regional Finalist at Apprenticeship Awards

For the second year running, Penny Post is awarded ‘Highly Commended‘ for the West Midlands Regional Finals in the 2021 National Apprenticeship Awards. What a great achievement!

Now in their 18th year, the National Apprenticeship Awards have been designed to recognise and reward the achievements of exceptional apprentices, apprenticeship champions and apprenticeship employers. The Awards give both individuals and businesses the chance to showcase the very best in practice across the country.

Penny Post is ‘Highly Commended‘ in the SME Employer of the Year category for the West Midlands region for the 2nd year running! This category celebrates employers who can showcase their commitment, contribution and the success that apprentices have brought to their organisation.

Five years ago, the Penny Post Board recognised that although a successful credit union, the team was of a ‘certain age’, and investment in a younger team was essential to build on our achievements.

Our Great Apprentices

Our first 2 apprentices, Jaspreet Kaur and Hannah Copson, were recruited in 2017. Jas was promoted to Customer Service Team Leader after 2 years, and this year joined the senior management team when she was promoted to Operations Manager. Hannah has been promoted to Customer Service Team Leader – the role vacated by Jas! Lewis Price joined as an Apprentice in 2018, Tanya Aspbury followed in August 2019, and our current apprentice, Ravan Chahal, joined us this year. We’re proud to invest time and money in these young people, including mentoring, training, development opportunities locally and nationally, and bespoke Personal Development Plans.

Jas, Hannah & Lewis have all participated in the ‘Credit Union Futures Programme’ – the ultimate young professionals’ development programme delivered in partnership by ABCUL and the Credit Union Foundation. We aim to help Tanya and Ravan with their applications in the future.

Apprentices have brought a pleasing vibrancy to Penny Post and helped us think ‘younger’. Their enthusiasm, outlook, hard work and positivity are key to Penny Post’s success in recent years and will be an important part of our future.

They have also contributed to raising Penny Post’s profile, regionally and nationally. Jas was shortlisted for Apprentice of the Year 2019 in the Black Country Chamber Awards, and won the national Tracy Slane Award 2020, awarded to a young person who has made an outstanding contribution to their credit union and/or to the wider movement and sits on the ABCUL Young Professionals Network Steering Committee.

Hannah, meanwhile, not only graduated from the CU Futures programme but was part of the team who won the Team Project Challenge, which included a presentation to a professional panel including broadcaster, journalist and writer, Liz Barclay.

Lewis had a testing time on his CU Futures programme as due to the pandemic, all his CU Futures development had to be done online, and he never got to meet his fellow cohorts in person! This didn’t stop him from excelling in his course work, and he has used his newly acquired presentational skills at our team meetings.

Tanya and Ravan are playing pivotal roles in the Customer Services Team, ensuring that members’ accounts are updated, withdrawals are processed in a timely fashion, new members are joined promptly, and dealing with day-to-day enquiries in a friendly and professional manner.

Virtual Awards Ceremony

We are so proud of Jas, Hannah, Lewis, Tanya and Ravan, so being selected awarded ‘Highly Commended‘ for the West Midlands Regional Finals at the National Apprenticeship Awards really is the icing on the cake!