Member Article

Ashleigh Higginson wins Apprentice of the Year Award

Ashleigh Higginson, 20, from Coventry, has been named as the ICT Apprentice of the Year at the 2016 Coventry & Warwickshire Apprentice Awards, a new scheme which was launched this year to celebrate the success of apprentices in the county.

Ashleigh, who started her apprenticeship in 2015 at Coventry-based global retail technology solutions and managed services provider, PCMS, was the firm’s first female IT apprentice.

Working on PCMS’ Service Desk she was quickly promoted to a First Line Advisor, meaning she had to quickly develop her technical IT knowledge in order to become the first point of escalation for PCMS’ customers, which include global brands and retailers such as John Lewis, M&S, Krispy Kreme and Ann Summers.

Following her rapid career development, she was promoted again in August of this year to a Second Line Analyst – and is now the only female analyst on the Service Desk. In her new position, she is now a role model for other PCMS First Line Advisors and often is the lead on her shifts, managing complex escalations and issues, as well as taking responsibility for high priority customer calls.

On receiving the 2016 ICT Apprentice of the Year Award, Ashleigh said: “I came across the PCMS apprenticeship scheme online – I was a little bit nervous when I first applied because I had very little previous IT knowledge, so I was really excited when I found out my application was successful. I received lots of support from my desk and team leader, who helped me improve my technical understanding, as well as one-to-one mentoring, which really helped build my confidence and communications skills.”

“IT isn’t a career that lots of girls consider as there’s quite a few preconceptions about it being a male-dominated industry and that apprenticeship schemes in the IT sector are more directed at men. While I am currently the only female Serve Desk Analyst on my team, hopefully by winning this award I can be an example to other girls and show them that a career in IT is an option that’s open to them and one they can excel in.”

Elaine Rowlands, Head of HR at PCMS, commented: “We’re thrilled for Ashleigh, who has thrived and excelled at PCMS, and she’s grown both in terms of her role and personally; she’s seized the opportunity to learn from working alongside more experienced colleagues and her maturity and professionalism have developed rapidly as she has grown in confidence.”

“We have been committed to apprenticeship schemes for a number of years, and have witnessed first-hand the value apprentices bring to the business – and Ashleigh is a fantastic example of this, as her award attests,” Rowlands concluded.

Looking ahead, Ashleigh will be speaking about her experience as an apprentice at local careers fairs, as well as going into schools to give talks to year 11 students and 6th formers in a bid to raise awareness of apprenticeship schemes as a viable alternative to university as well as encouraging girls to consider future careers in the IT and technology sectors.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tim Barton .