April Apprentice of the Month
Kitty Russell
We are pleased to announce that the winner of the LDN Apprentice of the Month for April is Kitty Russell @ Bristol University Press
Nominated by Skills Coach Helen, Kitty has taken the opportunity at Bristol University Press in her stride and has gone from strength to strength since starting the LDN Publishing Professional apprenticeship last year.
Check out all the awesome nominations we received in April, as well as Kitty’s winning nomination below.
Kitty’s Skills Coach:
Kitty came to us after a career as a seamstress. It has been a big leap of faith and confidence to try a completely new career in academic publishing, but Kitty has been amazing! She is intensely curious, purposeful and enthusiastic. She has impressed greatly at work. She has volunteered at charity events, using her creative skills to make products for sale, and is the LDN Ambassador for us, where she galvanises her peers into action, and posts up articles and ‘better you’ posts for us all. Kitty epitomises what making the most of being an apprentice is all about.
Kitty’s Line Manager:
How have they improved/impacted the business and the team since they started their apprenticeship?
When Kitty joined Bristol University Press in July at the start of her apprenticeship she didn't know much about publishing having come from a very different industry but she brought a passion for books and an enthusiasm to learn about the industry and find out if this was the right industry for her to build a career in. Kitty has grabbed this opportunity with both hands, wanting to learn as much as she can during the programme, not only about the Press, the publishing industry, but also about her colleagues at the Press.
After getting to grips with our systems, processes, the remit of her role as well as adjusting to an office job, Kitty has wanted to do and learn more and more once her regular tasks were running smoothly. This has enabled Kitty to take on more interesting work, especially over the last few months.
What three words best describe them?
Curious - Kitty always comes to our catch-ups with questions both from her role at the Press and from the LDN lessons and continues to learn how what she is learning as part of her Apprenticeship plays out in practice at Bristol University Press.
Helpful - Kitty has been asked to help out across all teams at BUP (Commissioning, Production, Marketing, Sales and Journals) as and when she's needed and she's always very happy to help and super keen to learn more about what each team does in the publishing process.
Calm - As well as being keen to help out, Kitty remains calm when asked to do something new and carefully goes through the steps needed to complete each new task, asking sensible questions along the way.
An example of an outstanding piece of work, project or task they have worked on.
Kitty has recently completed an EDI project at the Press, gathering staff work profiles from around 60 staff members. The profiles cover communication preferences, main job role responsibilities and transferrable skills and will be useful to any existing or new members of staff and will also really help with cross-team working of a largely hybrid team. Kitty created a template for the profiles and clear guidance for all staff to follow which made completing the profiles as easy as possible for her busy colleagues. The project also demonstrated Kitty's keen interest in EDI issues.
Here’s what was said about the other brilliant nominees:
Paul Gunson @ Bullen Healthcare Group
Paul has shown remarkable organisation and consistently exceeds expectations. Despite his demanding directorial role and family commitments, he delivers high standards and has a positive impact on his team and the NHS. Paul creates fascinating projects and supports his colleagues effectively. His line manager describes him as the go-to person for ESG matters in his department. Paul's dedication, professionalism, and positive attitude make him an outstanding candidate for Apprentice of the Month. His ability to juggle multiple responsibilities while maintaining excellence is truly impressive. Well done, Paul!
Tom Woodgate @ Lincs Police
Tom displays a cheerful, positive attitude throughout the apprenticeship. He is a great member of the DLD community, offering suggestions and advice to other apprentices. He has been blasting through his portfolio and producing fantastic evidence featuring his own creative designs, both in the style of the pieces and the evidence he presents within them.
Tom takes a range of ideas and requirements and leads through to engaging digital experiences across office and frontline roles. He collaborated successfully with regional policing communities to update and improve First Aid digital learning, using his fabulous Adobe skills to produce engaging, interactive experiences.
Eleanor Ferguson @ Astra Zeneca
Ellie has conquered a range of challenges to position herself as an incredibly strong apprentice. Her attention to detail and ability to absorb new knowledge and skills have resulted in her producing outstanding work ahead of schedule. Ellie has a wonderful skill of being able to take on new information and internalise it to create real impact! Ellie isn’t just a brilliant apprentice, she’s also committed to doing what’s right, whether through her interest in promoting environmental sustainability or through her being part of social impact at work and supporting communities her organisation is based in - Ellie is brilliant!
Ambassador for us, where she galvanises her peers into action, and posts up articles and ‘better you’ posts for us all. Kitty epitomises what making the most of being an apprentice is all about.
Rachel Bolt @ Cambridgeshire County Council
Coming from a managerial and technical background, Rachel initially found it challenging to align with the design-focused approach of the programme. However, she embraced the shift with determination and resilience, actively engaged with feedback, and steadily adapted her approach. Over time, she overcame challenges related to her role, projects, and resources, completing all her submissions with strong supporting evidence. Her ongoing commitment to professional development has been particularly impressive, demonstrated in her willingness to pursue additional opportunities for growth, such as taking part in an eLearning competition.