AN apprentice at a Bolton based firm has claimed a prestigious national award.

Jade Aspinall was described as "a future leader in the business’ by her employer as she picked up the Nuclear Decommissioning Site Licence Companies Higher Apprentice of the Year at a glitzy award ceremony at Grosvenor House in London.

The 23-year-old initially joined MDBA UK Lostock in 2011, and the award was given in recognition of the "outstanding contribution" she made to the international missile defence company.

She has been working as a manufacturing engineer as part of the company's Meteor Missile project, and has been responsible for ensuring that production of the missile is continuous by creating and updating plans and layouts from a design drawing, updating rework route cards and designing and ordering specialist tooling.

Jade, from Wigan. beat off hundreds of competitors from across the UK to win the award, and judges said she demonstrated an "amazing desire and thirst for learning and knowledge".

She said: "As an apprentice I am able to earn whilst I learn, gaining degree level qualifications whilst gaining the practical experience at the same time. I believe in learning through experience and my apprenticeship allowed me.

"I’m very ambitious about my future. I started university in September, studying a B.Eng in Computer Aided Engineering.

"I cannot have enough passion and enthusiasm for apprenticeships.

"Without mine, I wouldn’t be the confident, mature, challenge-driven individual I am today: greatest decision of my life.

"Since starting my apprenticeship my confidence has increased significantly."

The awards, now in their twelfth year, are run by the National Apprenticeship Service and recognise excellence in two areas, businesses that grow their own talent with apprentices and apprentices who have made a significant contribution to their workplaces.

Nick Boles MP, skills minister, said: "Congratulations to Jade for your success at the National Apprenticeship Awards. Apprenticeships truly are set to be one of the great success stories of the decade, and Jade is a worthy ambassador.

"We are committed to three million apprenticeships by 2020 so that even more young people can follow Jade’s lead and reap the benefits of apprenticeships."

Beccy Pleasant, head of skills and talent at the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, added: "On behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Site Licence Companies I would like to congratulate the winner of the Higher Apprentice of the Year Category.

"There was an excellent calibre of nominations, illustrating the success of apprenticeships in creating the workforce of the future."