Nick Manifold

Transport for Greater Manchester, Apprentice of the Year

While in my fourth and final year of the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship, I was fortunate to win an internal award of Apprentice of the Year at my employer, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). I received nominations from my peers that were reviewed by a judging panel, then the shortlisted candidates were invited to an award ceremony where the winners were announced and received their awards. I was very surprised and humbled to win this award, as to me I was just doing my job.

I was predominately nominated for taking the lead on a project and approaching it in a novel way, using logic models to identify new Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for an organisational area. I opted for a consensus-based approach, drawing on a range of aspects that I have learned on the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship programme, such as stakeholder management, leadership behaviours, innovation and change management, having managers reflect on their own areas and create KPIs aligning with their strategies. As a result, the managers were more invested in the project and more open to change as they were actively contributing to the outputs.

The knowledge gained from this course strengthens my confidence when applying it in the workplace as it is relevant and informative. This has been noticed and referred to by my colleagues, in how I adapt, explain, and share the knowledge I’ve acquired.

Looking back over your time so far, how have you found the whole experience?

Feedback from my peers has shown me the impact that this degree apprenticeship has had on me, from the confidence I’ve gained, the application of theory to practice in the workplace, and the relationships I have built across my placements; none of which would be possible without the support of TfGM, my colleagues and of course Manchester Met. I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to study for this degree.

Find out more about our Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship.