Kate Cooke from Falmouth has been named the first ever Cornwall Apprentice of the Year at an awards ceremony held at Truro and Penwith College.

The 20-year-old, who is an accountancy apprentice with Lang Bennetts, took the overall winner of winners award as well as the accountancy prize at what was an evening filled with some great personal achievements from apprentices working in Cornwall.

Kate was one of 12 category winners to have come from Truro and Penwith College and as well as passing all her exams first time, she took an additional module in business tax, which was over and above what was required for her to pass her course.

Kate was offered a place at university, but chose to pursue the apprenticeship route to gain valuable work experience. As Lang Bennetts’ first apprentice, Kate excelled in her studies, moving from an advanced apprenticeship onto a higher apprenticeship (equivalent to a foundation degree) which she is due to finish this year. She is then keen to train as a chartered accountant and now mentors Lang Bennetts’ two other apprentices.

“She has shown a lot of guts, as well as commitment to her own progression,” said Helen Hood, manager and apprentice co-ordinator at Lang Bennetts. “We have seen a shy person who knew little about the business community, grow and mature over the last two years, into someone who is confident, diligent and commercially aware. Since Kate has been part of the team we have seen turnover growth of more than 10 per cent per year, each year. Kate has been part of that success, and is helping to put Lang Bennetts in a position to succeed for the next 75 years.”

Kate said: “I was really shocked to hear my name read out, especially for the overall award, but it was great.

It was brilliant to be recognised in the accountancy category, but to win the overall award was such a surprise as there were so many great award winners on the night.

“The decision to become an apprentice has been the right one for me. It has allowed me to get practical experience right from the start. The whole process has boosted my confidence, which means I can deal with clients and feel empowered to flag issues.”

Over the last two years Kate has also clocked up 2588 chargeable hours across 144 clients, become part of the firm’s audit team and is about to start training to become a chartered accountant.