County Training awards evening: Katie wins Apprentice of the Year

A highlight of the event was the announcement that Katie Lane, a valued member of our customer service team, has been awarded Apprentice of the Year. Katie was nominated by her apprenticeship trainer, Catherine Fielding, who praised her dedication, positive attitude, enthusiasm and consistently high performance throughout her programme.

Katie’s apprenticeship journey has been nothing short of remarkable. Alongside excelling in her role here at Connexus, she balanced a full‑time apprenticeship, caring for a young family, and studying for a part‑time Open University degree, demonstrating extraordinary commitment and drive. 

Tom Bateson, Customer Services Team Leader shared:

“Katie is very deserving of this award, which she can add to her ever-growing trophy cabinet after being awarded the Connexus Apprentice of the Year award at the 2025 Connexcellence Awards! Managing Katie and supporting her with her apprenticeship was a pleasure; Katie was really focussed, worked hard and asked thoughtful and meaningful questions to help her in her coursework. She balanced a full-time apprenticeship with a young family at home and a part-time Open University degree in the evenings. She oozes empathy when on the phones, is a valuable part of our team and has secured permanent employment with Connexus. Well done Katie.”

Apprenticeships are a vital part of how we support our communities too - creating accessible, accredited routes for people to develop the skills and behaviours needed both now and for the future. They also play an important role in ensuring we have the right capabilities across the organisation to meet customer expectations and deliver great services

We’re incredibly proud to have Katie as part of the Connexus team. This award recognises not only her exceptional effort, but also the support of her colleagues and the County Training team throughout her apprenticeship.

Congratulations, Katie!