Learner & Employer of the Month Awards

Sonya and I have worked together for many years. She is communicative and supportive of me and her learners, during Teams meetings and face to face in the setting.

More recently Sonya has been required to take part in employer reviews, voluntarily adding in observations of practice information, dining in to activities on BUD to prepare for meetings, she has had numerous meetings to support one particular learner both with the process and so it can be consolidated in practice and outside of the meeting times, has worked closely with me, sharing information, making many phone calls and responding to almost weekly emails.

She has gone above and beyond to support both her apprentice and me as the personal tutor, making my work so much easier and rewarding, I really cannot thank her enough, but this would be a great way to recognise the great work and huge efforts she makes. THANK YOU SONYA!!!

I’d like to nominate this employer because I’ve had the pleasure of working with them for many years, and their commitment to developing their apprentices has always stood out. They consistently create opportunities for their learners to grow, pushing them to achieve their best while offering steady, meaningful support along the way.

Their dedication to nurturing talent and providing a positive learning environment makes a real difference, and it’s clear how much they genuinely care about the success of every apprentice who comes through their doors. They are an exceptional partner, and truly deserving of this recognition.

Courtney Cowen has been a treasure ever since working in partnership with me in May 2025 in supporting the two apprentices that are employed by her. She not only shows an interest in the apprentices learning, but she will also take time out of her busy schedule to sit with the learners to ensure that they are understanding and doing the tasks that I set for them. This shows me that she takes notice of the contact that I make whether it’s phone call or email, Courtney is a shining example of how an employer should work and her commitment to ensuring that the setting is running smoothly and the children are happy and receiving the best education possible whilst making sure her own employees well being is positively maintained, is incredible! She has been to every meeting and progress review I have conducted with the learners and has always treated me with such kindness and respect. 

I would like to nominate little Jigsaws Day nursery wigan, They truly shine in their work that they do with both staff and children. We have apprentices with them and they have just transferred over two apprentices from Woodspeen. The collaboration between learners and the managers is seamless, and the nursery has a wonderful ethos that really stands out in everything they do. Check out their Facebook page, they do a monthly Jar of Love and each month someone is nominated on why the Jar of Love is passed to them and they get the appreciation post and little gifts-which I think is lovely… it’s the little things.

Heaton Park View Nursery were amazing with their entries to Arti’s Adventures recently, and the children all looked like they had the best time with Arti! A lot of effort went in to create some great adventures and I can’t wait to see what they will put forward for Arti’s next campaign!

I am nominating The Mulberry Bush nursery for Shaping Lives’ Employer of the Month award. Their dedication to staff training and development stands out across every interaction.

The team consistently invests time and energy into helping their staff grow, ensuring each member has a clear pathway for progression. They embrace apprenticeships as a core part of their culture, supporting learners at every stage and celebrating their achievements.

Their commitment shone again during our recent video recording. From careful preparation to making everyone feel welcome, the team provided outstanding support and demonstrated the professionalism and enthusiasm that make them such valued partners.

The Mulberry Bush nursery is a true example of how a setting can nurture both children and staff, and I wholeheartedly recommend them for this recognition.

Shardlow Hall has been getting really involved in Arti’s Adventures, It’s been amazing to see the team fully embrace it and getting the children excited, creating fun activities around it, and really bringing the whole thing to life. The staff are always supportive and friendly.

I have worked with this setting 7 years ago when my learner was first employed by them, the learner is still there and now coming to the end of her EYEL3 award.

The new manger Amel who has progressed into this role for a year now, is very supportive towards my learner Sara Jamil Kausar, who I have had for 4 weeks, she has been so accommodating for her observations that needed to be done, professional discussions, reviews and 121 and also EPA preparation. The manager understands the importance of staff development and is so flexible and supportive. Thank you Amel, I hope to work again with you in the near future.

This employer has worked with Shaping Lives for many years now. They have had a number of apprentices over the years and always engage well with the PT and OM. They have supported 8 learners to fully achieve and currently have 8 learners on programme, one in EPA. Most recently, Limara, the manager, has been supporting Shaping Lives with an apprentice that has not bee engaging as well. Additional time and support has been provided to help us, help them, and communication has been great. A fabulous employer to work alongside!

This nursery is outstanding! The manager significantly eases my role by consistently ensuring that staff are able to attend their workshops and training sessions. She reminds them about upcoming sessions with me, supports them in their work, and actively models best practice in the rooms. She even assists by invigilating exams when needed.

This employer is incredibly hands-on and consistently supportive of all learners. She’s always quick to respond to any requests from our side, making collaboration smooth and efficient. She’s a true advocate for our work, regularly praising us and even recently started organising events where she’s recommended us as a provider, as well as promoting Derbyshire County Council for funding.  I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this nomination. I’m really looking forward to attending the next event.

The Mulberry Bush Nursery group and Shaping Lives have recently come together to work in partnership.

Since engagement The Mulberry Bush has worked collaboratively with us at every step to create a brilliant beginning for all involved, executing every request across all settings to onboard 6 learners without any delay.

The Mulberry Bush has shown great dedication to supporting apprenticeships, whilst working together to build a strong partnership for the future.

This employer runs a small nursery that is at the centre of a wider community, ensuring high quality care and education to the children and families.

This employer has a number of learners completing their apprenticeships with us and always ensures her staff attend meetings (juggling her diary to accommodate everyone), completes the many reviews and also completes her own Level 5 apprenticeship.

This employer is supportive and provides the opportunity for her staff to develop knowledge and skills to be the best educators for the children in the Nursery.

Tracy is a highly experienced early years manger always looking at developing her team by looking at their full potential and ensuring they are enrolled onto qualifications to ensure her team are always trained at the highest quality standard.

She always looking at gaps in learning and very supportive giving her apprentices protected apprenticeship time to learn, she believes this also benefits the setting in a huge way in in preparation for Ofsted inspections and her team having current and a lot of knowledge and understanding.

The apprenticeship lead here ensures she is always trying to upskills her team with a number of apprentices now with Shaping Lives, ensuring they are the right learners on the correct programmes to meet their needs. She takes advantage of ensuring her staff are updating their CPD and gaining the correct qualification they require. She will wait until its the right time for the candidate to enrol and not rush the enrolment process.

This learner is very passionate about Early years. She is almost completed on her Leve 5 and has grown so much in her knowledge and skills and her energy to continue to develop and support her Nursery is amazing. She has implemented new ideas into the Nursery, is supporting her colleagues with her new knowledge from the apprenticeship and it’s a pleasure to see how much impact the apprenticeship has had on her role and nursery.