Firebrand and Lloyds Banking Group apprentice nominated for IT Apprentice of the Year!

“Don’t be shy, put yourself in positions that you wouldn’t normally be comfortable doing,” says Hannah Surry, the Level 3 Software Development Technician apprentice supporting Lloyds Banking Group. Hannah has just been shortlisted as IT Apprentice of the Year at the UK IT Industry Awards 2018.

“I knew Lloyds had put my nomination forward but I didn’t think much of it. I found out when the people from the IT Industry award emailed me saying I’d been shortlisted, I was so surprised!” says Hannah, who started her career with Lloyds Banking Group two years ago before starting an Apprenticeship in November last year.

Accelerating careers at Lloyds

Since starting her Apprenticeship, Hannah’s enjoying a position in technology she originally might not have been comfortable in: “I thought that the culture would be completely different, like the classic old banking stereotypes. It’s not like you’d expect at all, it’s actually really fun, I’m thoroughly enjoying it.”

For Ashley Jarvis, Payments Application Architect and Hannah’s Apprenticeship Mentor at Lloyds Banking Group, the good news regarding Hannah’s nomination wasn’t a shock: “I'm not surprised that Hannah was successful in being shortlisted as Apprentice of the Year — it’s a welcome reward for her consistent effort and attention to detail!

“Hannah has exceeded my expectations and has been delivering quality work supporting new initiatives and making changes to existing applications. She has a very positive attitude and won’t shy away from a task. She takes responsibility and ownership of her work, taking on real work challenges very early on.”

Hannah’s ability to work as effectively in a team as independently has boosted her performance at Lloyds, undoubtedly leading her toward being shortlisted for IT Apprentice of the Year.

“Hannah thrives within my team but is capable of working independently, taking guidance very well and showing a positive response to feedback. Within her cohort she has also taken a leadership role, setting up learning meetings and peer-reviewing others' work,” Ashley added.

When asked about which projects she’s enjoyed the most during her Firebrand Apprenticeship, Hannah says, “I couldn’t pick just one. I’ve worked on so many projects with my Firebrand Learning Mentor, Vince at Lloyds... I found them challenging yet really rewarding when I completed them!

“I always recommend Apprenticeships to people if they’re not sure what to do. You can always go back and do a degree; Apprenticeships teach you through real-life situations. They help develop areas like your communication, other life skills that degrees don’t provide.”

Hannah is just one of the many apprentices who have flourished at Lloyds Banking Group. This year, the Group will create up to 1,000 Apprenticeship positions that will result in permanent employment and aims to create 2,500 positions by 2020 as part of its Helping Britain Prosper plan.

The IT Apprentice of the Year 2018 will be announced at the UK IT Industry Awards on Wednesday 14 November at Battersea Evolution London. The event is the largest annual technology award ceremony of its kind, seeking to recognise outstanding performance from individuals and businesses throughout the UK computer industry.

(Photo: Annette Allmark and Hannah Surry)