New City College A Level student wins national Celebrating Social Mobility award

A hard-working New City College student was chosen from thousands of other young people across the country as the winner of a prestigious Future Apprentice of the Year Award 2026.

Catalina Ardeleanu took home top honours in the Celebrating Social Mobility category at the ceremony, which was held at the iconic Concorde Conference Centre in Manchester.

The event brought together some of the brightest young people from the UK and was hosted by reality TV personality Jamie Laing.

The awards were established to celebrate exceptional 16–18-year-olds across a wide range of fields, from finance to neurodiversity, with categories sponsored by leading global employers.

The Social Mobility category is run in partnership with Howden, and the award is for students who bring energy, ideas and determination, especially those who have faced challenges or come from a background where opportunities can be harder to access.

Catalina, from Romford, is studying A Levels in Business, Economics, Maths and Further Maths at NCC’s Havering Sixth Form Campus. She was nominated for the award by her Pastoral Tutor Caroline Beazleylong, who felt she deserved recognition for her resilience and hard work. Caroline said: “Catalina showed promise, ambition and a desire to keep moving forward even when things got really tough.”

Her achievement is particularly remarkable given the scale of competition. With nearly 2,000 applicants nationwide and just six winners selected, Catalina was said by the judges to be an outstanding candidate.

A member of the organising committee praised her success, saying:

“This is an incredible achievement at such a young age and at an early stage in their career. Catalina has gone above and beyond, battling competition from students all over the UK to win this award. It’s also a testament to the incredible support that staff at New City College have provided.”

Catalina said:

“I was so surprised to win. The presentation evening was an amazing experience in itself! This award is a way to honour my mother’s love and her hard work.

“As well as studying for my A Levels, I enjoy fine pencil art and keeping up with fashion. My boxing training, which I have been doing for the last two years, has taught me discipline and focus. And at the centre of my life is a faith rooted in Jesus, which has shaped my values and the way I view the world.”

As part of her prize, Catalina will benefit from a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend an exclusive lunch with three of Howden’s most influential leaders – the Chief People Officer, Chief Investment Officer and the Group Chief Risk Officer.  She will be able to ask questions, hear about their career journeys and learn what it’s like to work in a global organisation.

She also gets the chance to attend a one-day Insight Event at Howden’s HQ and then later this year, she will have a fully funded, week-long Insight Experience with all travel and accommodation paid for. This valuable experience will give her a behind-the-scenes look at the business and an insight into the different career options available.