NHS worker from Cornwall celebrated as part of National Apprenticeship Week
Ali Richardson is a nursing degree apprentice studying in Truro
Last updated 10th Feb 2022
An NHS worker in Cornwall is being praised for her efforts in her work and virtual learning during National Apprenticeship Week.
NAW is an annual week-long celebration of each of the thousands of apprenticeships that takes place across England.
Ali Richardson is one of the nursing degree apprentices studying at the University of Plymouth's Truro School of Nursing who is being celebrated for her achievements starting a new course during the pandemic.
Ali said: “Enrolling in December 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic, felt strange to begin with. The nature of this degree apprenticeship is that I’m full time for 18 months, so we do a mixture of full-time study and placement.
"The further I got into the application process, the more I realised how much I wanted to do it, so I’m delighted I was accepted".
After 20 years of healthcare roles and apprenticeships at Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, she decided to apply for the apprenticeship after a call out in the Trust’s staff bulletin and has already won a regional award.
Ali continued: "Doing a course that we'd never done before, all online, there was no face-to-face teaching, was really strange as it was really isolating so that it made quite difficult initially. It's just adapting to what's going on at the time. "It felt strange being at home during these unprecedented times, but I realised that doing the academic work, completing the placements, and ultimately improving my knowledge and skills would be hugely beneficial for both me and the people I care for".
She won the Apprentice of the Year award at the Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards and told us she was "really surprised".
Ali told us: "It felt a real privilege to be nominated but to actually win was amazing. I couldn't believe that I'd won it.
The nomination of the award praised her work as a Collaborative learning in placement practice champion (CLIPP) at RCHT. Ali has also been recognised to be the first student to have received the Trust’s ‘Learning from Excellence' award.
The award also praised her keenness to complete the training to volunteer with the COVID-19 vaccination clinics.
Ali continued: "The thing that I love best is learning things on studying and on skills. We've had years of experience of being on the wards, and we can share those experiences with other people as well.
"I’m really grateful to RCHT for supporting my degree apprenticeship, as my whole learning experience so far has been amazing. The students, lecturers and placement teams I’ve worked with have all been so supportive, and I can’t wait to qualify this year".