Double celebration as Unitas announces joint apprentice of the year winners

Unitas Stoke-on-Trent has crowned Brooke Chomyn and Nicola Walklate as joint Apprentices of the Year.  

The company, which is responsible for the repair and maintenance of 17,500 homes and approximately 600 public buildings owned by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, made the special double announcement to mark their successful progress. 

To date, Unitas has employed 38 apprentices across their business in a variety of settings including Trades, Safety, Health and Environment and Business Administration. Many have been permanently employed following their training.  

The company also welcomed six new apprentices who joined the team in September.  

The ceremony, known as the Tracy Chattin Apprentice of the Year Awards was established by the company in 2019 as a tribute to late colleague Tracy, who was instrumental in developing the Unitas Apprentice Scheme.  

The 2024 Awards were presented by Unitas Interim Director Mark Freeth and Stoke-on-Trent Lord Mayor Councillor Lyn Sharpe.  

Brooke Chomyn joined Unitas as a Business Administration Apprentice in 2022. She was nominated by her supervisor who said, “Brooke’s willingness to learn, problem solving, self-motivation shows she has the drive to succeed and learn. 

Nicola Walklate is an Apprentice Quantity Surveyor, currently studying for a degree. Nicola’s Supervisor said: “Nicola is a key member of the commercial team… she has made herself almost indispensable since joining the team nearly 5 years ago.”  

In addition to crowning the two winners, Unitas also awarded high praise to two further nominees; Olivia Scally (Apprentice Gas Engineer) and Kyle Till (Apprentice Electrical Maintenance Engineer).  

A Special Recognition Award was also presented to Nathan Heron, a now qualified Gas Engineer, who recently completed his apprenticeship.  

Unitas Interim Director Mark Freeth said: “We’re incredibly proud of our apprentices and the awards gives us an opportunity to show them all our gratitude for their hard work, to celebrate their achievements and demonstrate to our customers the value of our apprenticeship programme.”