North Wales move kick starts career for award-winning Ffion
Ffion Malwala with the Jobs Growth Wales - Outstanding Achiever of the Year award.
A young woman who moved from South to North Wales to secure herself a job has been rewarded with a prestigious national award.
Ffion Malwala, 24, was named Jobs Growth Wales Outstanding Achiever of the Year at the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru 2013, organised jointly by the Welsh Government and the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW). The high profile awards ceremony was held at the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport.
“It took me a while to get a job that I wanted to do but my decision to move to North Wales has changed my life,” said Ffion. “I am almost lost for words to explain how much this award means to me. It’s also going to be great for the future growth of the company I work for.”
The awards recognise the outstanding achievements of learners, employers and providers involved in the delivery of quality apprenticeships and other work-based learning programmes across Wales. The Apprenticeship Programme is funded by the Welsh Government with the support of the European Social Fund.
It took a move from Cardiff to Prestatyn to kick-start Ffion’s career in graphic design. Now the 24-year-old has a permanent position with Daydream Designs, where her contribution is helping the company grow.
Since she joined, the company’s profits in graphic design have gone up by over 90% and it has also started working on packaging design, with products now on the shelves of TK Maxx and Holland & Barratt.
Ffion, who has a design degree from Cardiff University, said: “After graduating, I applied for so many jobs but didn’t get anywhere. I started to lose confidence, thinking I wasn’t good enough, but I kept on looking.”
She found out about the design role on the Jobs Growth Wales programme through Twitter, applied and went on to impress at interview. “Things have turned out really well,” she said. “I really like my job and I’m enjoying working to grow the business.”
Sian Saunders, creative director at Daydream Design, said: “The fact that Ffion was prepared to move to North Wales to take up the position clearly demonstrated her commitment.
“Her design skills were impressive from the outset but she needed more confidence. Through her training with Coleg Cambria in Wrexham, her confidence grew and today she manages projects and clients. She even made a presentation to 300 undergraduates at Glyndwr University.
“Her forward-thinking, innovative approach has amazed us from the start and has helped us to grow the business in new directions.”
Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, Ken Skates said: “The Apprenticeship Awards allow us to celebrate the range of skills that our young people have to offer as well as the dedication shown by employers and training providers and I’d like to congratulate all of the worthy winners.
“It was a real pleasure to meet such hard-working and ambitious young people who have all achieved so much, as well as the employers and training providers who have gone that extra mile in supporting young people to fulfil their potential. They are all a credit to themselves and an inspiration to others.
“Our recent budget announcement has confirmed an additional £12.5 million to extend our Jobs Growth Wales programme for a fourth year. This means that we can create more than 4,000 extra job opportunities for 16-24 year olds in 2015-16. The Welsh Government will also be investing a further £20 million in 2015-16 to support apprenticeships. This is excellent news for our young people and our employers and will allow us to make a real difference.”
Showcasing excellence in skills development in Wales, the awards are sponsored by Pearson PLC with support from media partner, Media Wales. Award Sponsors are Leadership & Management Wales and ACT Training.
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