Teenage apprentice Katie Marsden is a finalist in the Young Achiever of the Year category
A teenager’s initiative and positive attitude towards work has impressed judges for a prestigious award.
Katie Marsden is among the finalists in the Young Achiever of Year category at next month’s Halton Business Awards in recognition of her impact at marketing agency Aqueous Digital.
The 19-year-old, a student on the BA (Hons) Digital Marketing degree apprenticeship at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), is one of five rising stars shortlisted as a reward for the contribution they have made to their workplace.
She said: “I’m so grateful to the team for nominating me – it means so much!
“After the past few years in college, I didn’t want to be stuck in a classroom all day any longer. Instead, I wanted to get out there and do it for myself.
“In the short time I have been at Aqueous, I have already learnt so much. It really has made a huge difference for me!”
Katie joined the search engine optimisation (SEO) experts, who are based in Sutton Weaver, as a digital marketing assistant last summer after achieving straight As in her A-Levels.
She opted for a degree-level apprenticeship at the next stage of her studies, preferring to gain practical experience of the digital marketing sector while acquiring the knowledge taught as part of a traditional university course.
Judges liked that she has assumed responsibility for delivering SEO services to more than a dozen of the agency’s customers as part of a role that includes account and project management, monthly reporting duties and website content co-ordination.
"I’m so grateful to the team for nominating me – it means so much!"
— Katie Marsden
“At the heart of Aqueous is a commitment to the development of every team member,” said Jonathan Guy, Aqueous Digital’s managing director.
“We have been extremely impressed with Katie’s progress, especially how quickly she has developed the skills required to succeed in a niche and specialist area of digital marketing.”
The Halton Business Awards, organised by Halton Chamber of Commerce, have been an annual event since 2008.
The most recent edition, held before the coronavirus pandemic, attracted a record number of entries and more than 400 business leaders and VIPs attended the Gala Dinner.
Katie will be approaching the one-year anniversary of her first day in the job when the 2022 winners are announced.
She added: “I was really nervous about starting because I was only 18 and I’d not had a full-time job before.
“But from the second I started, everybody was so welcoming. I love how supportive they all are.”
A UCLan spokesperson said: “As one of our degree apprenticeship students, Katie is putting into practice her academic learning and it’s fantastic to know she’s been shortlisted for this award. We wish her the very best of luck.”
The Halton Business Awards 2022, celebrating the best of business in the borough, are scheduled to take place at Widnes Stadium in Cheshire on Friday, June 10.