Council employee is Local Government Apprentice of the Year

Leena, who is a Corporate Projects Business Admin Apprentice, won the award by competing in a virtual day of challenges to encourage participants to showcase their skills, expertise and initiative.

Now in its sixth year, this one-day national event was designed and delivered in partnership by the Local Government Association (LGA), South West Councils and Local Government East.

Over 600 apprentices from across England, Wales and Northern Ireland have engaged in the event since it began, with 77 Level 2 and 3 local government apprentices taking part this year on 12-13 May.

Building on the success of previous events, all those participating were either current apprentices or qualified within the last 12 months. 

Over an intensive programme of team challenges, problem-solving tasks and networking, participants developed skills that will support them throughout their careers, with this year’s theme being around innovation.

Expert mentors (Development Leads) guided them through the day, helping them build confidence, leadership capability and a deeper understanding of the sector. Apprentices worked in teams to tackle a real-world local government challenge, later impressing everyone with their innovative ideas and stellar teamwork during the sharing session.

Each participant received an individual report with their scores for each activity and an Employer Checklist with suggested questions for line managers to use with their apprentices. 

As well as Leena’s individual success, awards were also presented to the joint runners up, Victoria Grant (HR Culture Assistant – Apprenticeships and Early Careers) and Katy Howlett (Business Administration Apprentice), both of Plymouth City Council.

There was also a team prize, won by Team 7, judged by a panel of local government communications experts. For this activity, apprentices were asked to show their council’s leadership team how their innovative idea could be communicated to stakeholders in an engaging way. Their task was to design up to three, one-page communication documents to present their chosen innovation to some of their identified stakeholder groups.

A prize for the on-the-day social media competition was also presented to Jay Chauhan, Health and Safety Apprentice Technician at Leicester City Council.

Nigel Carruthers, LGA Senior Advisor, chaired the event. He was joined in a Q&A by guest speakers and attendees Catherine Howe, Chief Executive, Dorset Council and Sam Holdcroft, Team Leader – Estates, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, on the importance of apprenticeships in local government.

Apprentices also heard from last year’s winner Eve Hind, Operational Support Assistant, Durham County Council, via video recording and an address from one of last year’s runners up, Anya Stevens, Assistant Accountant (Customer and Corporate Team), Plymouth City Council during the event.

As part of its sector support offer, the LGA works to support councils across the country to deliver successful apprenticeship schemes to help people into training and employment. 

Its Apprenticeship Support Programme helps councils to share good practices, provides advice and guidance, and supports councils to problem-solve and review council apprenticeship programmes through ‘Apprenticeships MOT’ health checks. 

Since 2020, councils in England have created in excess of 71,000 apprenticeships across more than 200 roles, demonstrating the scale and importance of early career development in the sector. The LGA continues to support councils to run high-quality apprenticeship programmes, offering funded guidance, peer learning and programme health checks.

Leena Futter, Corporate Projects Business Admin Apprentice and the 2026 Local Government Apprentice of the Year, said:

“I worked in a leisure centre when I first joined the council, completing a leisure and fitness apprenticeship. Then I heard about the opportunity to develop my career further and last year I joined the council’s Corporate Projects Team as an Administration Apprentice.

“It has been a fantastic step for me and I’m lucky to be part of a great organisation that wants to support my development. I have a really interesting job that is developing my skills and knowledge in lots of different areas, which I can carry forward with me into a variety of roles in future.

“As an apprentice my learning is a mixture of college-based study and work-based experience so I get the best of both worlds – I learn the theory and get to put it into practice in the real world.

“I really enjoyed taking part in the challenges of the Apprentice of the Year event – I thought it would be a great opportunity to try something different, meet other apprentices and build my confidence in a team. 

“I went into it expecting to enjoy myself but never imagined I would win – that really was the icing on the cake!”

Cllr Louise Gittins, Chair of the LGA, said:

“Congratulations to our winner, Leena Futter, and to everyone who participated in this year’s Local Government Apprentice of the Year awards.

“Apprentices are the future of the local government workforce, playing a crucial role in delivering the essential services that communities depend on every day.

“This annual award is a fitting celebration of the talent, commitment and achievements of apprentices across the country, whose contributions are invaluable to the work of councils.”

Kate Blakemore, Chief Executive at Borough Council of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk, said: 

“We’re absolutely delighted for Leena – she is a talented and capable individual with a bright future ahead of her. 

“Being named Local Government Apprentice of the Year is a fantastic achievement and we’re really proud of her, as we are all our apprentices.

“Supporting apprentices and graduates is critical to the future of local government, which is why having an apprenticeship programme is so important. It’s something we’re fully committed to and it’s a privilege to have been able to put three people forward for this year’s event.

“The Apprentice of the Year challenge helps them to develop their thinking and solve problems in a team environment – vital skills in shaping local services – and a chance to network with peers. 

“It’s a great opportunity for us and our apprentices to take part, and a wonderful bonus that one of our team was the winner!”

Fay Edwards, South West Councils and Emma Grant, Local Government East (event partners) said:

“We were proud once again to bring together apprentices from England, Wales and Northern Ireland for this national event, creating a valuable platform for learning, collaboration and personal growth.

“Apprenticeships within local government offer a unique opportunity to build fulfilling careers while making a tangible difference to communities, and it is inspiring to see this reflected in the calibre of participants year on year.

“Congratulations to all the apprentices who took part and contributed to making this such a successful and engaging event. We would also like to recognise the dedication of the many individuals behind the scenes - including the chair, speakers, communications panel and development leads - whose expertise and commitment continue to shape and strengthen the experience.

“The continued use of delivering the event remotely has enabled us to connect apprentices across boundaries, creating an inclusive space where talent from different regions and service areas can be celebrated. Throughout the event, apprentices demonstrated impressive creativity, resilience and teamwork while responding to complex challenges.

“This event remains a powerful example of partnership working, with organisations collaborating to co-design and deliver an impactful experience that supports the development of the next generation. We look forward to building on this year’s success.”