Jayne Williams says she has become the “Apprenticeships poster girl” within HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) due to her passion for learning and development.
She is now the “go to” person having been the first HMCTS employee to achieve a Higher Apprenticeship (Level 4) in Advice & Guidance, delivered by Wales’ leading training provider ACT.
However, Jayne’s learning journey is not stopping there. She now wants to do a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development qualification or a Higher Apprenticeship (Level 5) in Learning & Development.
In recognition of her successful learning journey, Jayne was named Higher Apprentice of the Year at last night’s prestigious Apprenticeship Awards Cymru 2022. The awards highlight the outstanding achievements, during unprecedented times, of employers, apprentices and work-based learning practitioners.
Jayne, 58, from Newport, has seen her role as a court clerk expanded to cover running staff training, coaching, facilitation and academy courses. In the past year, whilst completing her Higher Apprenticeship, she helped train 690 HMCTS colleagues via online workshops and has been offered a wide range of jobs within the service.
She has filmed a video about her learning journey and holds live question and answer sessions online to promote apprenticeships.
Following in the footsteps of her grandmother who passed her first ‘O’ Level at the age of 65, she is now training all new court clerks and more senior officers, and inspiring colleagues to do apprenticeships, not only in Wales but across England too.
She says overcoming the barrier of passing her Essential Skills Maths qualification at the third attempt gave her a huge confidence boost and she now mentors colleagues.
As part of her Higher Apprenticeship, she enjoyed a six-month secondment in a trial training and facilitation project which proved so successful that HMCTS has now employed a permanent learning support officer.
“My apprenticeship has catapulted me into the limelight across HMCTS to deliver training and help others to develop,” said Jayne. “I’ve become the apprenticeship poster girl for the HMCTS. I’m so passionate about learning and development that I want everyone to know and make Wales stand out.
What HMCTS have gained from me doing the Higher Apprenticeship is immeasurable and it has opened so many doors for me. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.
Louise Vernall, HMCTS delivery manager, said: “Jayne always inspires and engages others, demonstrating wonderful training skills and displaying a natural talent for it. She is a great addition to my team and her contributions cannot be underestimated.”
Congratulating Jayne and all the other shortlisted finalists, Economy Minister Vaughan Gething said: “Apprenticeships make a huge contribution to our economy and will be crucial as Wales continues to bounce back from the pandemic. They can help futureproof, motivate and diversify a workforce, offering people the chance to gain high-quality vocational skills.”
