MBE awarded to HCRG Care Group’s Head of Apprenticeships
HCRG Care Group’s Head of Apprenticeships has been awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours.
Sarah Van Der Merwe has been recognised for her contribution to further education and skills, following a nomination from the Department for Education’s Education and Skills Funding Agency and HCRG Care Group’s Associate Director of Learning and Development Gemma Hall.
On learning of the award, Sarah said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have been given this honour. As someone who was supported to develop my own career through work-based learning, I have always been really passionate about giving others the best opportunities to grow their skills within the workplace. Whilst I’m over the moon to have personally received this recognition, I really want to extend this to my team within HCRG Care Group whom without I could not have achieved all I have over the past few years.”
When Sarah left school, she went straight in to work-based learning, achieving NVQs in personal training and fitness, and sales and management, before being asked to join training provider Lifetime Training as an assessor.
She has been Head of Apprenticeships with HCRG Care Group’s learning and development department, The Learning Enterprise, since December 2019, after joining the company in March 2019 as a programme lead, launching the Operations Manager Level 5 apprenticeship programme.
Most recently, she led The Learning Enterprise through an OFSTED inspection that resulted in an ‘outstanding’ rating, a full Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) inspection and successful re-application to the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers, whilst studying for and gaining a Senior Leader Level 7 MBA apprenticeship.
Gemma Hall, HCRG Care Group’s Associate Director of Learning and Development, said: “Sarah is a shining star in The Learning Enterprise and to the wider skills sector and thoroughly deserves this Honour. We are lucky to have people like Sarah working in this area, endeavouring every day to develop the talent of the future and give people opportunities that they thought they would never have.”
Pat Birchall, Managing Director of HCRG Care Group, said: “I could not be prouder of Sarah and what she has achieved. She is an asset to our organisation and someone who I have no doubt will continue to make a really positive difference to people of all ages striving to develop themselves in the workplace.”
In 2023, HCRG Care Group was named Regional Highly Commended Winner in the National Apprenticeship Awards’ Social Justice Apprentice Employer of the Year category, recognising the work that The Learning Enterprise put in place to assist with upskilling people from local communities, offering volunteering opportunities and apprenticeships.
Photo: Sarah Van Der Merwe (right) with Gemma Hall
