THE WINNER of Best Apprentice at this year’s Golden Apples Education Awards is Samantha Hyde.

Ms Hyde, 35, was employed as an apprentice behaviour support assistant at Trinity School, Carlisle before recently getting her dream role as a year tutor for this intake’s Year 7 class.

She said: “I think it’s a massive achievement.

“It didn’t really hit home until I received the Golden Apple nomination, everyone has worked so well with me to get to this point.

“In my head I was always saying ‘have I really done as well as everyone is saying I’m doing?’

“It’s always nice to get that recognition.”

Ms Hyde used to run a hotel in Buckinghamshire and had long wanted to get into education. However, costs of living prohibited her ability to change careers in The South. With that in mind, she moved to Trinity School, where she hopes to mould the lives of generations to come.

She continued: “I really enjoy being a year tutor and starting with Year 7 is a real start, and staying with them all the way to year 11.

“Moulding a student to leave school and go into a job or education is a real achievement. “I really wanted to make a difference.

“My husband keeps saying well done but for me I’m just doing my job, which is made easier by the amazing people around me.”

The other nominees were Nikita Wilson, a Nuclear Engineering apprentice at The Lakes College and Molly Dargue, an Apprentice Nurse at North Cumbria Healthcare Trust.

Nikita Wilson was nominated for this award by The Lakes College, where she studied for an apprenticeship in Nuclear Engineering.

Whilst working full time in the NHS during this extremely difficult period she completed a Level 6 Nuclear apprenticeship with a distinction grade.

Not only did Nikita complete her apprenticeship but she also gained a first class honours degree in Electrical Engineering. She now works for Createc in Cockermouth.

Molly Dargue first joined North Cumbria Healthcare Trust in 2017 as an Apprentice Engagement and Communications Administrator.

After qualifying she gained the skills and qualifications to get a full time job as Integrated Care Communities (ICC) Team Secretary and Risk Systems Assistant. As her fixed term contact was coming to an end, she began looking for a new job within the Trust and is now training as Health Care Assistant.

Molly had always been interested in Healthcare and Nursing but didn’t want to move away to university. After a conversation with one of the team leads for district nursing, Molly decided now was the time to change career and do something that she had always wanted to do.