Naomi's journey to becoming this year’s runner up started when she was chosen by Colchester City Council to represent them at the event.
Networking with other apprentices is always reported as one of the most rewarding parts of attending the Local Government Apprentice of the Year event and for this year’s runner up, Naomi Osborne, it’s a statement that she couldn’t agree with more!
Naomi, who is an Environmental Health Officer at Colchester City Council decided to attend the Apprentice of the Year event following encouragement from her manager and because she enjoys new challenges. On the morning of the event, Naomi recalls how she had a feeling of excitement and curiosity and by the end, despite the exhaustion of the jam-packed day, she was left feeling happy, accomplished and with a sense of contentment.
I enjoyed this as I love meeting new people, I was able to put my newly gained skills from my apprenticeship in team engagement into practice
Throughout the event, Naomi and her team were presented with a series of activities relating to this years’ theme – health and wellbeing – which required them to work together, considering their individual and collective strengths. When reflecting on which part of the overall event Naomi enjoyed the most, she explained how the opportunity to network whilst undertaking each of the activities was one of her highlights. This included from the introductions at the beginning of the event though to the opportunities to discuss and bounce around ideas as a team when deciding on the health and wellbeing challenge.
Since achieving the runner up prize at this year’s event, Naomi has received a raft of encouraging and congratulating messages not just from people she already works with but also from the apprentices she met during the event. The reward of the networking opportunities is one of the key things that Naomi has taken away from the event and, when asked why she would recommend the event to apprentices thinking of applying, Naomi said:
“Even if you don’t win you still meet new people, have a great experience and it helps reflect a lot on how you work individually but also as a team including team engagement and morale.
As Naomi now looks to her future, which she hopes will involve further professional development, she has reflected on how attending the event has really boosted her confidence at work. She now endeavours to work as an apprenticeship ambassador and to support other apprentices where possible.