Double success for Laura at regional apprenticeship awards

11 February 2026

Cambridge City Council's Laura Herrera-Martin, is celebrating being recognised for her outstanding work at this year's Eastern Education Group Apprentice of the Year Awards, held on Friday 6 February at Bury St Edmunds Regional College.

Laura [pictured centre of the photo above, with colleagues Sean Cleary and Brigitte Wilson] was presented with two awards on the evening:

  • Outstanding Apprentice of the Year 2026

  • Apprenticeship Green Impact Award 2026

These awards recognise both the quality of Laura’s academic performance and, critically, the real-world impact of her work while undertaking her Project Management Apprenticeship with Bury St Edmunds College.

As part of her apprenticeship, Laura, who is Service Improvement Manager in the City Services group at the council, played a key role in supporting the delivery of several priority workstreams. This included the council's EV Charging and Infrastructure programme, a complex, high-profile project aligned to its climate commitments and wider transport and sustainability objectives.

She consistently applied formal project management learning directly into live delivery, demonstrating strong governance, planning, stakeholder coordination, reporting discipline, and the ability to manage competing priorities within a demanding operational environment.

The Apprenticeship Green Impact Award specifically recognised Laura’s contribution through the EV Charging and Infrastructure project, where her work helped support communities across Cambridge in the transition to electric vehicles. This included progressing accessible charging infrastructure for residents and visitors - and which will support the council’s own fleet decarbonisation ambitions, while maintaining a clear focus on long-term environmental benefit and public value.

The Outstanding Apprentice of the Year Award reflects Laura’s consistent performance throughout her apprenticeship, balancing academic study with operational delivery, and demonstrating initiative, accountability, and professionalism well beyond what would normally be expected at this stage of development.

External recognition at this level is a significant achievement. It reflects extremely well on Laura, on the City Services Group teams involved, and on the council’s commitment to developing talent through high-quality apprenticeships that deliver real outcomes for the city.