A TALENTED travel agent is really going places after being shortlisted for a top award.

Shannon Green, who works at Althams Travel Services, in Farnworth has been names as a regional finalist in this year’s National Apprenticeships Awards.

The 20-year-old, who is the only travel industry worker on the list, saw off competition from nearly 800 entries to make the grade.

Ms Green, who began work at the Brackley Street branch in 2013, said she was delighted to be in the running for the accolade.

She said: “I’m thrilled to have been shortlisted for this award because I wholeheartedly support the apprenticeship concept.

“I left school with excellent grades and could have gone on to study at college. However my dream career was to work in the travel industry and one day, walking past my local branch of Althams Travel, I saw a vacancy in the window for a Travel Apprentice.

“I spoke with my parents and we discussed the pros and cons of apprenticeships but I could only see pros. I loved the idea of learning while earning and also gaining invaluable hands-on experience in travel retail.”

Althams Travel’s apprenticeship programme has been run by industry training provider TrainingStation for the past four years.

Andrea Fielding, director of TrainingStation, said: “Shannon has done incredibly well to be shortlisted for this coveted award.

“She is a shining example of how an apprentice can add value and develop new skills to progress within a business.

“I first started working with her in January 2014 after TrainingStation took over Althams Travel’s apprenticeship programme and she has achieved so much in that time, jointly winning the company’s Young Person of the Year that year and more recently the role of Assistant Manager.”

And she adds that Ms Green is now passing on her skills to the businesses latest recruit.

She said: “Shannon is now a mentor to the new branch’s new apprentice and has demonstrated excellent leadership skills in guiding and supporting her to ensure she keeps on track with her learning.”

The National Apprenticeship Awards are run by the National Apprenticeship Service and are now in their 14th year.

The regional finals will be held in October and the winners will then progress to the national final held on January 18, 2018 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.