~ minute read.

Hattrick of apprenticeship awards

November 22, 2022

FX Plus Deputy Security Manager Lois Craze has become the first ever triple winner at the Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards 2022.

Lois completed her hattrick by winning the Management category, the Achiever of the Year, which was decided by public vote and the top, Cornwall Apprentice of the Year titles.

The awards, organised by Truro and Penwith College, celebrate exceptional achievement and highlight the positive impact apprenticeships are having on future skills as they equip learners and workplaces with the tools to succeed, move with future economic developments and boost businesses.

Lois began her apprenticeship in Leadership and Management (ILM Level 3) started in March 2020, two weeks before the first COVID-19 lockdown. Whilst working to support our campus community throughout the pandemic restrictions, she achieved a Distinction in October 2022.

Holly Day and Neil Caddy from Pirate FM presented the awards at a gala awards dinner on Friday 18 November, where Lois was described as, ‘invaluable and an absolute inspiration to her team,’ Lois not only recruited an effective team during a departmental restructure but implemented policies and procedures that have improved services. Lois works with the Police to benefit the safety of students at the university and launched the SafeZone app on campus which has vastly improved response times to emergency and first aid calls.

Lois said: “I am completely overwhelmed to have won so many awards and to be the first ever triple award winner. My apprenticeship was the hardest thing I have done, mainly due to the lock down and not being able to take part in face to face dicussions and lessons. 

“My apprenticeship was a mix of practical observations, knowledge assignments, exams and finally a two-hour interview from an End Point Assessor to get my final grade. With the amazing support of my managers and head of department at FX Plus and my college learning advisor I was able to achieve a distinction which I am super proud of.”

Paula Sanderson, FX Plus Managing Director, said: “This is an amazing achievement. Lois has shown what can be achieved with support and the will to succeed and is a great example to inspire us all at FX Plus.”

For more detail about Lois’ success and other award winners, please see the Truro and Penwith College news piece.

About FX Plus

Falmouth Exeter Plus (FX Plus) delivers shared services for Falmouth University and the University of Exeter in Cornwall to ensure a top quality experience for students, staff and all users of Falmouth and Penryn campuses.

Our vision is to provide ‘Exceptional environments that enable talented and creative minds to thrive’.

~ minute read.

Management apprenticeship award

November 26, 2021

Congratulations to Emily Stanbury, winner of the Management category in this year’s Truro and Penwith College Apprenticeship Awards.

IT Project Manager Emily, who has been working for Falmouth Exeter Plus (FX Plus) for nearly seven years, said: “I was very surprised to win as the other candidates had clearly achieved a lot on their courses and I won it in 2019 so I didn’t expect it again. It was nice to be shortlisted and be able to go to an event after so long.”

Stuart Gaslonde, FX Plus Director of IT and Digital Services, said: “This award is well deserved – Emily has worked really hard over the years and we are delighted that we have been able to support her with the appropriate training to expand her skills. At FX Plus we are very keen on supporting apprenticeships and other training opportunities.”

Emily started with FX Plus as a Service Desk Support Technician and moved on to Print Services Manager, which is when she started the apprenticeship to support that role. During the apprenticeship she got a secondment to Project Management which was recently made into a permanent position.

She said: “The course I did was a combination of a diploma and apprenticeship and was called Level 3 Team Leader Supervisor. I had to spend one day a week working on the apprenticeship as part of my role. This could be a day in college, writing assignments or taking on extra responsibilities in my role. I also had to complete work in my own time due to the amount of work there was to complete as part of the diploma.

“I did the apprenticeship to support me in the promotion to Print Services Manager. I wanted to improve my skills and confidence in my abilities but also to look into other areas of management I would be interested in. This turned out to be project management!”

Emily, who was also a highly commended runner up for Apprentice of the Year, has more plans to progress. She said: “Next, I have been selected to take part in a programme called Aurora which encourages and develops female leaders in Higher Education. It begins in January so I am looking forward to starting that.”

Truro and Penwith College Apprenticeship Awards celebrates exceptional achievements. After a break because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s gala awards dinner (on Friday 19 November) was presented by Holly Day and Neil Caddy from Pirate FM.

About FX Plus

Falmouth Exeter Plus (FX Plus) delivers shared services for Falmouth University and the University of Exeter in Cornwall to ensure a top quality experience for students, staff and all users of Falmouth and Penryn campuses.

Our vision is to provide ‘Exceptional environments that enable talented and creative minds to thrive’.