A MALVERN woman has proved it is never too late to learn something new as she completes an apprenticeship.

Margie Lloyd, 53, who worked at the Malvern Premier Inn believed her classroom days were behind her.

But a supportive manager at the Townsend Way hotel encouraged her to become an apprentice., and now she has completed a Level 3 apprenticeship, where she learned to run a hotel herself, and gained qualifications equivalent to A Level.

She said: “It can be scary to go back into a classroom after such a long time away from it, but my manager at Premier Inn encouraged me to try doing an apprenticeship.

"Then once I started, the continued support of my tutor took any fears away and helped me get the qualifications I need to manage a site.

"This has given me a massive confidence boost and I’m so glad I was given this opportunity.”

Whitbread, which owns Premier Inns, offers apprenticeships to people of all ages as part of its company-wide skills and employment scheme.

Sandra Kelly, head of education at Whitbread, said: “Like most companies, team members are our biggest asset. Their hard work and dedication is what makes Whitbread a success, so it’s key we invest in them.

"We also passionately believe there should be no barriers to entry or ambition – and that includes age – which is why all our apprenticeships are ageless.

“We’ve seen first-hand the positive impact that older apprentices can make as they’re able to bring their broader life experience to the table.”