Member Article

Sheffield Apprentice Jenna Unwin Wins National Award

Jenna Unwin, aged 17, has won a prestigious award from People 1st; the skills and workforce development charity for employers in the hospitality, tourism, leisure, travel, passenger transport and retail industries after being nominated by her tutor Jayne Wills at The Source Skills Academy.

Jenna, who lives in Rotherham, has won the Retail Intermediate Apprentice Award. The awards ceremony was held in The House of Commons last Thursday.

The award is in recognition of Jenna’s hard work and determination. Jenna started her apprenticeship in September 2013 and is already Store Manager of a new branch of The Whistle Stop Sweet Shop in Sheffield.

The Whistle Stop Sweet Shop, owned by husband and wife team Kara and Tony Chapman, first opened in Rotherham in 2010. The shop is a bespoke sweet boutique offering a wide variety of delicious high quality sweets and luxurious sweet gifts.

Half way through Jenna’s training in Level 2 Retail Skills Diploma; her employers were so impressed that they began to discuss the possibility of her managing her own store. In June 2014, they began to plan the new store and found the ideal location in the entrance to Orchard Square in Sheffield City Centre with Jenna involved every step of the way.

The new store opened in October when she was promoted to store manager and Jenna now manages her own apprentice. Keen to continue expanding on her knowledge, Jenna is now working towards a Level 3 Retail Management qualification with The Source to improve her strength as a manager.

The judges were representatives from across the industries and included Lloyd Thomas from The Co-operative. They said “Jenna has had great success within a small shop environment. She has been promoted and has grown as an exceptional professional and is a worthy winner of this award.”

Jenna said “It was so exciting to receive my award at the House of Commons. I hadn’t been to London before so it made a great day out and we enjoyed seeing the sights. I was so surprised to hear my name called out and I can’t wait to put the trophy somewhere where all our customers can see”.

Kara said “We’re so proud of Jenna and she thoroughly deserves this award. Jenna is a valued member of the team - if Jenna sets her mind on achieving something; there is no stopping her. I’m sure she has a great career ahead of her and this award is a fantastic accolade for her.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by The Source Skills Academy .