August Apprentice of the Month
Henry Spurdell
Publishing Professional
We're delighted to announce that Henry Spurdell, Publishing Professional apprentice at Pearson, is our LDN Apprentice of the Month for August!
Nominated by his Skills Coach Helen Bugler, Henry has stood out for his enthusiasm, professionalism and commitment to both his role and apprenticeship. Since joining Pearson, he has embraced every opportunity to learn, building strong relationships with colleagues and demonstrating a positive attitude towards new challenges. His dedication to his development and the impact he has already made within his team has helped him win this month's award.
Explore all of our fantastic August nominations, along with Henry's winning submission and excellent feedback from his line manager, Alice Landragan, below 👇
Henry’s Skills Coach:
Henry joined educational publisher Pearson in a highly technical, deadline-driven role and quickly rose to the challenge. From the very start, he has worked hard to master a wide range of systems, proactively seeking support from colleagues and establishing himself as a valued member of the team. He consistently approaches his work with enthusiasm and a positive attitude.
Passionate about publishing, Henry has remained highly organised throughout his apprenticeship and has demonstrated a strong commitment to his development. He has received excellent feedback from his line manager, who describes him as making a “noticeable impact” on the team's work, an impressive achievement in a complex and fast-paced environment.
Henry’s Line Manager:
How has Henry improved/impacted the business and the team since he started his apprenticeship?
Since Henry started at Pearson last year, he has been involved in a major, time-sensitive project to migrate content to a new platform. He has grown from a complete newcomer to someone who can independently run QA phases and liaise with subject teams on schedules, processes and remediations. Over the last few months, his impact on the project has become increasingly noticeable and valuable, while his confidence and independence have continued to grow.
What three words best describe Henry?
Organised – Henry keeps on top of his workload as well as his apprenticeship commitments. He stays on track and keeps everyone informed when plans need to change.
Diligent – Quality assurance has been a key part of Henry's role, and he has proved himself to be very reliable, careful and meticulous in his approach.
Kind – Henry is a great person to work with. He is always courteous and thoughtful in the way he communicates and collaborates with the rest of the team.
Can you share an example of an outstanding piece of work, project or task Henry has worked on.
Through his growing technical knowledge of Pearson's platforms and processes, Henry has become the go-to person for subject team queries relating to content migration. He is now able to answer most questions directly and, when needed, confidently works with colleagues to find the right solutions. This has played an important role in helping to keep this high-pressure project on schedule.
Here’s what was said about the other brilliant nominees:
Amoy Ing @ Westminster City Council
Amoy has made an outstanding start to her apprenticeship, consistently going above and beyond what would typically be expected at this stage. She has fully committed to her studies, actively engaging with her peers and LDN staff to make the most of every learning opportunity. What stands out most is how quickly she has applied her learning in the workplace, already using her knowledge of reporting and data analysis to support a retrofit housing project that helps improve sustainability and quality of life for residents. Amoy brings a consistently positive attitude, asks thoughtful and insightful questions, and shows a genuine passion for learning and continuous improvement.
Rowland Evans @ Circle Health Group
Rowland exemplifies resilience, determination and a genuine commitment to his professional development. Earlier in his apprenticeship, he faced the challenge of balancing a demanding workload within a small Learning and Development team. Throughout this period, he remained committed to his development, embracing support, reflecting on his learning needs and taking proactive steps to strengthen his progress. This determination has been reflected in the way he actively engages with feedback, identifies solutions and makes measurable progress towards completing his portfolio and reaching Gateway. His positive attitude, perseverance and focus have been impressive to see, and he continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to achieving his goals.
Samantha Banfield @ Latham & Watkins
Samantha continues to excel both professionally and academically, consistently going above and beyond programme expectations. Alongside her apprenticeship, she is also progressing a horticultural qualification, demonstrating an exceptional commitment to continuous learning. This month, Sam was invited to be interviewed by her professional accounting body, ICAS, following a previous award nomination, with her apprenticeship journey set to be featured in its magazine. She also volunteered to present her portfolio evidence project during last month's live session, sharing valuable insights with fellow apprentices. Sam's professionalism, enthusiasm and dedication shine through in everything she does.