Express & Star Business Awards 2025: Meet the finalists - Apprentice of the Year

The award, sponsored by Black Country and Marches Institute of Technology, celebrates inspirational apprentices. Judges will be looking for learners who display a drive and commitment to their apprenticeship, act as an inspiration to others, overcome obstacles and barriers and bring impactful ideas to their company.

Deborah Colley - AF Blakemore Foodservice

Having faced personal hardship in early 2023, Deborah Colley chose to undertake a two-year team leader apprenticeship, plus maths and English functional skills studies.

Despite being out of education for some time, Deborah showed enthusiasm and dedication, quickly impressing her instructors. She passed both maths and English functional skills Level 2, submitted high-quality work and provided detailed examples of how her learning applied to her role.

As a demand planner team leader at Willenhall-based AF Blakemore Foodservice, Deborah forecasts stock needs and faced significant professional challenges during her apprenticeship. She successfully led a major project to restructure a storage depot and transfer stock, originally given a six-week deadline which was changed to two weeks overnight. Her leadership, project management skills and resilience resulted in the project being completed within the new deadline, saving the company more than £1.2 million.

Beyond her professional role, Deborah is a trained mental health first aider and a volunteer for the RAF 'phone a friend' program, supporting serving and ex-RAF personnel. She also volunteers at Compton Care as a ward receptionist.

She achieved a distinction for her apprenticeship and was named Apprenticeship Hero at AF Blakemore. 

Her manager Lee Sirett said: "Very quickly I could clearly see the drive and passion Debbie had and how she went above and beyond in her role as a demand planner.

"With everything Debbie has been through in the last 18 months - and how much she has given back in so many special ways - to even be nominated for this has brought her so much joy and I am genuinely so proud of her."

Katie Cooper - ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions UK

Katie’s positive impact has been felt from the first day she joined SSA ABLOY Opening Solutions UKI as part of its professional digital segment as a product data and customer service apprentice - a new role to the business and one that no apprentice has taken on before.

She has made the role her own and set the standard for all future apprentices with her positive can-do attitude, helping to change the narrative around apprenticeships in the manufacturing sector.

Katie has been a critical member of the firm's 'Magic behind the Manufacturing’ campaign – sharing her own journey, experiences and top tips to school and SEN students - showcasing the opportunities available to all, and pushing herself out of her comfort zone to have a positive impact on the next generation. 

She has actively engaged with students to promote apprenticeships by visiting schools, hosting Q&A sessions and sharing her experiences, demonstrating confidence and professionalism beyond her years.

In her role, Katie has bridged communication gaps between teams and taken ownership of tasks, independently seeking solutions and engaging with stakeholders. 

She took the lead on the Willenhall-based company's 'Shared Catalogue' project, addressing a key challenge for sales representatives and improving efficiency and customer service. The impact of her work has been transformational, leading to increased efficiency, better-informed sales teams and improved sales performance.

She has consistently achieved distinctions in her apprenticeship coursework, met every deadline and delivered work to the highest standard - and has shown initiative, leadership and an unwavering commitment to personal and professional growth.

Luke Harvey - DAE Energy Solutions

Luke Harvey joined DAE Energy Solutions, a building energy management systems specialist, as their first-ever apprentice and has shown a remarkable commitment to his development and to the business.

His enthusiasm, work ethic and character growth have set a high benchmark for apprenticeships at the Kingswinford based firm and he has grown from a quiet learner to a dependable, technically capable engineer who is now trusted to lead his own projects.

Luke, who is on track to complete his apprenticeship this year, has consistently gone above and beyond expectations — volunteering to help on projects outside his immediate role, taking on additional learning and contributing positively to the team’s overall success. He has balanced study with real-time performance on site, never missing deadlines or stepping back from a challenge. 

His accomplishments to date include having suggested and implemented a practical improvement by transitioning paper-based commissioning documents to an online system, saving time and streamlining processes. He has also contributed to projects across various sectors, including healthcare, education and commercial environments.

By early 2025, Luke was already managing his own workstreams and leading smaller projects. He is now preparing for a full-time engineering role and future leadership responsibilities. 

His apprenticeship has also enabled him to buy his first home. His journey with Brierley Hill-based DAE has shaped him professionally, giving him confidence, skills and stability to grow, and he is regarded as representing the gold standard of apprenticeship achievements within the company.