27 Nov CMI awards – Accipio apprentice nominated for prestigious award

We are delighted to announce that an Accipio Senior Leader apprentice has been shortlisted by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) for the prestigious Apprentice of the Year award.

Congratulations to Debbie McArthur, Head of Apprenticeships & Leadership Development, East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), who has been announced as a finalist. The CMI awards will be presented on 27 November 2024.

What is the CMI Apprentice of the Year Award?

Management apprentices are making a positive difference to workplaces all around the world. This award celebrates outstanding apprentices who are committed to developing themselves and making an impact in their organisation. CMI are looking to recognise apprentices who are learning on the job, showing real-world impact from their learning and fostering innovation in their workplaces.

Who is ESNEFT?

ESNEFT provide specialist NHS hospital and community healthcare services for people in Colchester, Ipswich and the surrounding areas.

Debbie currently manages a team of 14 professionals responsible for supporting ESNEFT’s in-house learning and development. The team specialises in developing and delivering apprenticeships to healthcare staff, including doctors and nurses.

About Debbie

Reacting to the CMI award nomination, Debbie said: “I’m extremely flattered to have been nominated for this award.

“I was shocked and humbled to reach the final round. Those were my overriding emotions when I first heard the news. It’s especially nice, personally, as I have never been nominated for anything like this before.

“This award nomination is as much for my team as it is for me. They are the people on the ground doing remarkable work each day.”

Debbie has a unique perspective when it comes to apprenticeships. She is not only responsible for developing and delivering apprenticeships at ESNEFT, but she has also been ‘on the other side of the fence’ as an apprentice with Accipio.

Encouraging other leaders to complete CMI apprenticeships

And after leading by example, by completing her own Accipio leadership apprenticeship, Debbie has inspired other members of her team to seek out apprenticeship opportunities for themselves.

Debbie added: “In my own team, we have three other members of staff who are working towards an apprenticeship. The rest of my team are also doing other forms of continued professional development (CPD).

“ESNEFT are incredibly progressive and passionate about supporting their people to develop through apprenticeships.

“We recently welcomed our 500th member of staff onto an apprenticeship programme. Some colleagues study for apprenticeships internally, with the support of my team, while others have enrolled on to apprenticeships with external providers, like Accipio.

“You feel like you have walked the walk and talked the talk by completing your own apprenticeship. It has helped me with supporting other ESNEFT apprentices because I have walked in their shoes before. We share that common bond.”

Accipio’s Management Apprenticeship

Debbie’s award nomination comes following the successful completion of her Level 7 Senior Leader apprenticeship with Accipio. Debbie gained a Distinction grade – the highest grade available – and one that reflects her months of hard work, development, and dedication.

For over a decade, Accipio has helped organisations and individuals, like Debbie, transform their knowledge and energise their potential with impactful professional development and CMI-accredited leadership qualifications.

We provide management apprenticeship programmes at all levels, from aspiring managers (Level 3) through to senior leaders (Level 7). No matter where you are in your leadership journey, we have a course that can support your career growth.

Benefits of partnering with Accipio

Our expert team of trainers and coaches, including Debbie’s skill coach – Ali – have supported the development of over 30K leaders. Our coaches bring diverse industry experience and offer personalised guidance, making learning highly relevant to each apprentice’s goals.

Accipio’s digital hub, branded to your organisation, creates that all-important sense of familiarity during the training process. We combine traditional learning methods with innovative technology, ensuring courses are engaging, interactive, and accessible. This hybrid approach means apprentices can learn at their own pace while benefiting from direct support and feedback from their coaches.

Our leadership courses provide a transformative experience covering essential leadership and management areas, from self-awareness and emotional intelligence to strategy and innovation. This is achieved through our Accipio C30 leadership framework. C30 stands for the 30 capabilities that all managers need to become successful and is underpinned by 350+ eLearning modules.

Our programmes are designed to foster a supportive learning community, with opportunities to network with other apprentices and professionals. This environment promotes collaboration, allowing apprentices to learn from each other’s experiences.

We provide a contemporary approach to off-the-job training, including using naturally occurring activities that reduce unnecessary workload. This includes attending events with experts or coaching and mentoring existing team members.

About the UK Apprenticeship Levy

All Accipio leadership qualifications can be funded via the UK Apprenticeship Levy.

This means that smaller organisations (with an annual pay bill of below £3 million) can pay as little as 5% towards the cost of their Accipio apprenticeship training and the government funds the rest.

Larger companies, like ESNEFT, with an annual pay bill of over £3 million, can access their levy funds directly to finance Accipio apprenticeship training for their employees.

Debbie added: “The UK government’s Apprenticeship Levy has helped us to fund more courses than ever before, but ESNEFT also respect and value the development of their employees. That’s why I felt I was part of the right organisation to launch my own apprenticeship journey.”

ESNEFT’s long-term partnership with Accipio

ESNEFT enjoys a long-standing relationship with Accipio, and several cohorts of apprentices have been supported by our specialist leadership coaches and trainers.

During a diligent procurement process, Debbie noticed Accipio provided flexible start dates for all their leadership apprenticeships. This allowed Debbie to begin her studies in any month of the calendar year.

Another unique feature that persuaded Debbie to partner with Accipio was having access to her own dedicated skills coach throughout her studies.

Accipio leadership apprenticeships are accredited by the CMI. This cemented Debbie’s decision to apply.

Debbie concluded: “I chose Accipio for several reasons. Firstly, the flexible timeframes of their courses. Secondly, I had access to my own skills coach – Ali – who was incredibly supportive throughout. And finally, there was the CMI accreditation, including Chartered Status, which was very important to me.”

Ready to follow in Debbie’s footsteps?

Interested in following Debbie’s footsteps and pursing your own Accipio leadership qualification?

Our award-winning leadership and management training features CMI accredited development programmes and apprenticeships with University pathways.

Get in touch

Eager to find out more? Contact us and start your leadership journey today!