Anna Schlautmann, a 21-year-old from Wigan, has been named as Advanced Apprentice of the Year by EAL, the awards organisation for the engineering sector.

She is a logistics apprentice at MBDA Missile Systems near Bolton, studying for an NVQ level 4 and a business degree. She is also a member of the Industry Apprentice Council (IAC), which reports to the Houses of Parliament.

Receiving her award from Ann Spearing, who is EAL’s head of quality and customer support, Anna said: “I was hoping to win this national award because I promote apprentices whenever I can regionally, and this will give me a great opportunity to promote them even more across the UK.

“I am really proud to be an apprentice, and I want future apprentices to be proud too. I hope my success will inspire others to join the IAC to influence apprenticeships.”

EAL managing director Julia Chippendale said: “Anna was the stand-out winner among a list of very impressive young candidates. It is testament to her hard work and dedication that she has been acknowledged in these prestigious awards.”