Outstanding Apprentice of the Year 2023

Will Burchell is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Nottinghamshire Deaf Society, a specialist charity originally formed in 1890. In September, Will is moving role to become Chief Executive Officer at The Bone Cancer Research Trust, a charity that has invested £5.7 million in the last five years on 73 outstanding research projects, all of which have a focus on improving the lives of patients with primary bone cancer. Having worked in the Third Sector since graduating from the University of Nottingham almost 25 years ago, Will initially started his career as a Support Worker for people with learning disabilities. By the commencement of the CMI Apprenticeship, he had progressed to a director level role in a regional social care charity. Will undertook the apprenticeship after reflecting on his training and development to this point, and recognising that it had largely been vocational, and reliant on his natural leadership style to achieve results. Will recognised that this inflexibility had the potential to limit his future impact and career progression, and as it was his ambition to become a charity CEO, recognised the needed to invest in his own development to become a more versatile and adaptable leader. The CMI Apprenticeship has been fundamental in equipping Will with the skills and experience to take the next step in his career. Having experienced the benefits first-hand, he has become a huge advocate for the difference it can make, leading a number of friends and colleagues starting their own apprenticeship journey.