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When it comes to Apprentices – it’s not only Lord Sugar who hires the cream of the crop!

For recently qualified Occupational Therapist Andrea Hitchcock, April is quite the month for celebrations.

Not only is she marking an impressive 25 years with North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, but Andrea has scooped a prestigious Apprentice of the Year award – FOUR decades after leaving school!

Andrea (57) collected her BSc honors at the University of Essex in Colchester, surrounded by family and friends, following a four-year learning journey which took her very much out of her comfort zone whilst navigating the pandemic and working.

Andrea said: “Initially when I heard that I had won, I was shocked – I didn’t even realise that it was a thing! 

“I am proud to have won as it hasn’t been an easy ride combing working and learning – alongside a number of additional challenges along the way, not least the pandemic, as well as being the oldest student on the course.”

Andrea added: “Getting to grips with unfamiliar aspects of technology presented its own challenges, and there wasn’t a week that went by that I didn’t want to quit.

“However, I am so proud of my achievement, and I did it with the support of friends, family and colleagues.” 

Andrea, from Peterborough, enrolled onto the Assistant Practitioner in Health Level 5 degree after seizing the opportunity through the Trust to develop her role. 

Re-sitting her Maths and English qualifications were the starting point of a lengthy period of face to face and online learning, essays, assignments, a dissertation, and hospital placements at Peterborough, Addenbrookes, Bury St Edmunds as well as Peterborough City Council.

The road to success started with Andrea leaving school and starting work at the Freemans Distribution Centre in Peterborough, then joining the then Bank and working evenings and weekends as a Healthcare Assistant at the former Peterborough District Hospital.

Andrea left Freemans in 2000 to take up a full-time post as a Renal Care Assistant on the Dialysis Unit moving into Therapy services seven years later. 

Andrea qualified in October 2024, gaining a 2:1 full BSc honors degree Occupational Therapy – 40 years after leaving school!

Since qualifying, Andrea has further developed her OT role and now works within the Front Door Team at Peterborough City Hospital’s Emergency Department.

This involves working closely with the MDT consisting of frailty nurses, transfer of care and discharges team – all striving towards same day patient discharge avoiding admissions and supporting patients to live in their own home – in addition to also supporting other student apprentices to progress through the Trust. 

Andrea added: “The apprenticeship has enabled me to her build on my already vast knowledge and skillset to become the best version of myself. And it is proof that it can be done at any age. It took hard work and dedication but I’m glad I did it.”

Newly qualified Occupational Therapist Andrea Hitchcock with her Apprentice of the Year award.