Newport's Ascendancy shortlisted twice at inaugural apprenticeship awards

The first Shropshire Telford & Wrekin Apprenticeship Awards evening will be held at the Mercure Telford Centre Hotel on October 3 with Ascendancy featuring in the Small Employer of the Year category, and employee Mary Harris up for an award in the IT and Digital category.

The event, organised by events company Yarrington in partnership with Shropshire Business Live TV, has been created to celebrate the brightest apprentices in the area, as well as recognising employers for their support of apprenticeships.

Newport-based Ascendancy is no stranger to winning awards and also has an enviable track record in its support and development of apprentices. The company was recently acquired by husband and wife team Chris and Christina Morledge who are continuing the company’s long-standing commitment to its impressive apprenticeship programme.

Mr Morledge said: “Being shortlisted in two categories in this new apprenticeship awards event is terrific news for us and is testament to the importance we place on bringing young talent through - apprentices are after all our workforce of the future.

“We applaud all those involved in getting the Shropshire Telford & Wrekin Apprenticeship Awards up and running and believe it to be a significant development in the local business community.

“Mary fully deserves her place on the shortlist and has worked very hard since joining the Ascendancy team as an apprentice in 2021. Mary is an invaluable asset to our team, excelling in the technical intricacies of Google Analytics 4, Tag Manager, and PPC effortlessly. Her ability to grasp complex technical concepts sets her apart, making her an invaluable resource.

“Mary proves herself to be a versatile all-rounder. Dependable and efficient, she consistently delivers quality work at an impressive pace.”

Mr Morledge said the company’s shortlisting in the Small Employer of the Year category is the result of long-term dedication to development of apprentices. The first was taken on in 2015 and a total of nine staff have so far benefited from Ascendancy’s training, ranging in age from 16 to 26.

“Our motivation for employing apprentices is that experience shows us with the right support, they excel and enhance the business in so many ways – 50 per cent of our entire staff came through an apprenticeship,” he added.

“We have a 0-18 month model development pathway for all of our apprentices to work towards, resulting in potential promotion to Executive if they are ready and work is available. Once in the Executive role they have the choice to move to a degree apprenticeship and follow our pathway towards potential promotion to Senior Account Manager.

“Two of our former apprentices are now Senior Account Managers, with one at the executive role stage. We currently have three apprentices in their initial development pathway who are still working towards the end of their apprenticeship.”

The Shropshire Telford & Wrekin Apprenticeship Awards will be presented in front of the Shropshire Business Live TV cameras, with a three-course meal, and post-event live musical entertainment for all guests.