Ali Walker, a Trading Standards Officer at Leicestershire County Council, has been named National Apprentice of the Year by CTSI.
Walker, who joined Leicestershire Trading Standards in 2022 after a 10-year career as a parole officer, was singled out for her work to tackle the supply of illegal tobacco in the county.
After enrolling on the Regulatory Compliance Apprenticeship, she has gone on to embark on a Level 6 Trading Standards Professional Apprenticeship in Animal Health and Product Safety.
Ali Walker accepts the award from CTSI’s Phil Owen
Duncan Stephenson, CTSI Director of External Affairs, highlighted Walker’s hard work as a factor in the awarding of the accolade: “Judges were impressed by Ali’s work in tackling the supply of illegal tobacco,” he said. “This included working in partnership with other enforcement agencies and resulted in issuing a £15,000 fine to a local trader and instigating the county’s first-ever closure after working closely with local police.
“Ali is now leading on a new project on underage sales, and she is always looking at alternative ways of tackling criminality.”
Walker commented: “I was shocked to win the award and still am. There are a lot of good apprentices doing a lot of good work in Trading Standards, so it’s just lovely that the team felt I deserved to be nominated – let alone win.
“For people who are new to, or considering, a career in Trading Standards, I would definitely recommend an apprenticeship. Trading Standards has such a huge remit, and the apprenticeship helps to give you a grounding in all the areas that we cover.
“Apprenticeships aren’t just for school leavers – I came from an established career in the Probation Service, which shows that apprenticeships are an option for people of all ages. The fact that Leicestershire Trading Standards offers apprenticeships also demonstrates the commitment that they have towards investing in and developing their staff.”
Councillor Deborah Taylor, Leicestershire County Council cabinet member for regulatory services, said: “I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to Ali Walker on being named CTSI National Apprentice of the Year. This remarkable achievement is a testament to her hard work and dedication, which really deserves to be recognised at a national level.
“Leicestershire County Council’s apprenticeship scheme continues to provide invaluable opportunities for skill development and career advancement of all ages. We are immensely proud of Ali and all our apprentices who contribute so significantly to the work that this authority carries out.”
More information about Trading Standards apprenticeships can be found here.
