London South East Colleges' Demolition Apprentice, Sarah, has been shortlisted for Apprentice of the Year in the prestigious Association of Colleges (AoC) Student of the Year Awards 2022. Each year, the AoC hold awards to celebrate truly unique students from colleges across England who deserve recognition. These awards are an opportunity to highlight outstanding and exceptional individuals who will go on to inspire others.

Sarah has been shortlisted in the Apprentice of the Year category. She has been a fantastic ambassador for both apprenticeships and for women in construction - an advocate for encouraging women into the industry. She has used her platform to urge women not to be put off from pursuing careers in traditionally male-dominated industries and was featured in the Sun Newspaper earlier this year.

She often talks about her experiences and how she has been treated equally and with respect from day one. Sarah's employers, Erith Group, have been hugely supportive and extremely proud of her achievements.

Grant Styles, Operations Director, Erith Group, says: "Throughout Sarah's apprenticeship, she has constantly been interested in progressing her skills and learning all the different roles within the projects she has worked on.

"Embracing every challenge and setting the apprentice bar very high. Sarah brings a lot of enthusiasm to work daily and has never been afraid to get her hands dirty, achieving so much within the last two years and becoming a valued team member of each project she works on."

As a college, we promote equality and diversity and role models like Sarah support us by actively breaking down these barriers. The AoC receive thousands of nominations for their Student of the Year awards, so we are so pleased that Sarah has been shortlisted and has received the recognition she deserves.

Read more about Sarah's journey with us.