November Apprentice of the Month
Eliane Barclay
Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Practitioner
We’re delighted to announce Eliane Barclay at North London Waste Authority as our LDN Apprentice of the Month for November!
Nominated by Skills Coach Steve Bond, Eliane has been “perfect for the role of Apprentice Ambassador”, having a proactive attitude and bringing in new ideas, as well as running tours for many schools to educate the students on waste and what sustainable decisions they could make.
Check out all of our brilliant nominations for November LDN Apprentice of the Month, along with Eliane’s winning nomination and fantastic feedback from her line manager Chloe Hedman below! 👇
Eliane’s Skills Coach:
Eliane has been an incredible learner from the very start of the apprenticeship, where I recognised her to be perfect for the role of Apprentice Ambassador. Similar to this, she is on the ICRS Apprentice Hub Steering Committee, contributing to a cross-training provider space for apprentices to network and learn. She has also spearheaded the formation of a Women's Network and remains on the steering committee, advocating for inclusion. Alongside this, she has led Anchor Day sessions on social value and the Women's Network to communicate effectively with colleagues.
At North London Waste Authority (NLWA), Eliane has independently created a social value statement and action plan for the authority, embedding purpose-driven practices across teams. Eliane runs tours for schools, educating students on waste in north London and how they can make more sustainable choices as well as sharing career paths in STEM, construction, etc (including a very informative and enlightening tour for me and Nicola from LDN!!). Through her endeavours, Eliane consistently encourages others to consider hiring apprentices or do an apprenticeship themselves.
Eliane’s line manager:
How have they improved/impacted the business and the team since they started their apprenticeship?
Eliane has been a fantastic addition to the team. She brings fresh ideas and a proactive attitude to everything she does. Since starting her apprenticeship, she’s made a real difference, particularly in coordinating school visits, where her attention to detail ensures everything runs smoothly. She’s also taken the lead in liaising with our main contractor to arrange site visits, showing confidence and professionalism throughout. On top of her core responsibilities, Eliane is always looking for ways to support other teams, which has helped create a more collaborative and positive working environment.
What three words best describe them? (Please give an example/expand on each)
Organised - Eliane is incredibly organised. She plans ahead, manages her time well, and consistently meets deadlines without compromising quality. Her structured approach makes even complex tasks feel manageable.
Team-player - Eliane is always willing to lend a hand, even when it means taking on extra responsibilities. She actively looks for opportunities to help other teams, and that willingness has earned her the trust and respect of colleagues across the wider team.
Innovative - Eliane brings creativity and fresh thinking to her work. Whether it’s finding new ways to engage people or shaping strategic initiatives, she approaches challenges with a solutions-focused mindset that drives positive change.
An example of an outstanding piece of work, project or task they have worked on.
One of Eliane’s standout achievements has been leading the development of a social value strategy as part of her End Point Assessment (EPA). This project is transformative for the organisation, aligning our business plan with social value objectives and embedding best practice across NLWA. She’s done extensive research, held discussions with every team, and is now setting up a working group to make sure the strategy has a lasting impact. On top of that, Eliane helped launch a women’s network within the organisation, organising guest speakers and activities that promote inclusion and professional growth. These contributions show her leadership, enthusiasm, and commitment to making a real difference.
Here’s what was said about the other brilliant nominees:
Nicola Holman at Southampton City Council
Nicola is an exceptional apprentice whose compassion, dedication, and professionalism shine through in everything she does. In the context of community engagement she is always the first to check in on others, offering genuine support when it’s most needed. Nicola never gives up on people, she shows up, listens, and truly cares.
Despite initial reservations about balancing work and study, Nicola has managed both brilliantly. Her organisation, commitment, and drive have ensured she remains fully on track, even while juggling a demanding workload and other qualifications!
Nicola’s humility sets her apart. She makes a remarkable impact through her work but rarely speaks of her achievements, it’s often through her line manager Francesca that her contributions come to light. Her influence extends beyond her immediate role, as she actively seeks ways to create both social and environmental benefits in the communities she supports.
Alexandra Sawyer at Professional Training Solutions
Alex has been a consistently engaging, kind, and thoroughly enjoyable person to work with throughout our time together on the programme. She has produced excellent work, always listening carefully and taking on board feedback from our sessions. Alex showed great determination in overcoming her fear of maths to achieve a pass and progress to EPA, an outstanding accomplishment. She was even ready for EPA a month early, which is truly impressive and quite rare. Thank you so much for an enjoyable 9 months.
Becca Powell at Harborough District Council
Becca consistently brings positivity and enthusiasm to every masterclass, inspiring those around her. She’s genuinely passionate about giving young people a voice in decision-making and brings that same commitment into her apprenticeship. Becca constantly applies what she learns on the apprenticeship, to her role, using her new skills to make a real difference for the young people she supports. Even with a busy workload, she approaches everything with dedication, warmth, and enthusiasm. Her hard work, passion, and positive attitude truly shine through in everything she does, making her a fantastic choice for Apprentice of the Month.
Maddison Hamlin at Amazon
What a journey!! Maddi has been one amazing character to have on the course over the year and has progressed so much in ways not only on programme but also had an incredible personal journey in learning so much about herself, how she works best and how to push through barriers and get things done. She is so honest in her approach and this really helped with learning how to support her best. At work, she continues to be extremely busy, taking on more and more responsibility and from where we started to where we are now, sprinting towards EPA, Maddi is a really deserving candidate for Apprentice of the Month, showing that real grit and determination absolutely pay off - and she is hilarious!
Adam Walker at WAES
Adam has stood out tremendously in recent months. Notably, his digital design expertise and quality of learning has progressed so much so, that he is inundated with requests from peers to make digital learning for their curriculum. Adam is constantly showing his enthusiasm and persistence to keep trying to improve his craft. I’ve seen his confidence and quality of digital learning excel in recent months and he’s a pleasure to work with during the apprenticeship.
Samantha Tapscott-Roberts at Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
What stands out about Samantha is her passion for sustainability. She began the apprenticeship unsure how she’d meet the criteria but she embraced every challenge with enthusiasm and dedication. Her confidence has flourished. In a live session, she presented a sustainable event she organised, sourcing prizes locally and encouraging participants to share joyful places. It was a huge success and inspired other learners to think creatively about fundraising and event planning. Samantha is now actively involved in sustainability cohorts and consultations. Her drive is infectious, and she exemplifies how apprentices can turn uncertainty into action and inspire meaningful change in healthcare.
Bushra Bihi at Bloomsbury
Bushra joined publisher Bloomsbury as a non-graduate, a less conventional way of entering the industry. She quickly got up-to-speed with a busy role, juggling multiple demands with a can-do, no-fuss approach. Her line manager is thrilled with her progress and was delighted when she recently volunteered to attend the Black British Book Festival. He and his colleagues know Bushra to be confident, articulate and friendly - an excellent representative of the team. Bushra seizes every opportunity within the apprenticeship and at work. She is developing a real assuredness and composure, which inspires confidence in me and all those around her.
Austin Gillam at Amazon
Austin is confident and eager to progress in his apprenticeship. The feedback from his manager at Amazon is consistently strong and reflects Austin's ability to take ownership of his tasks and remain flexible at the same time to the needs of the business. An example of an outstanding piece of work that was provided by Austin's manager is: "Austin's work on redesigning the SnS storefront stands out as a particularly impressive achievement. His approach to improving the customer experience began with a thorough analysis of the current state, followed by creating detailed wireframes that address user pain points. What makes this work exceptional is his collaborative method - engaging with multiple business stakeholders to ensure the redesign meets both customer needs and business objectives. His ability to translate customer experience principles into practical design solutions demonstrates strong UX thinking and stakeholder management skills."