Suffolk graduate shortlisted for Apprentice of the Year award

A BT digital engineer who completed her degree apprenticeship with first class honours from the University of Suffolk has been shortlisted for a prestigious apprenticeship award.

Xenia Zimmerman is in the running for the Apprentice of the Year award at the 2026 Apprenticeship Guide Awards, alongside eight others in the category.

Xenia completed the Level 6 BSc (Hons) Digital and Technology Solutions (Software Engineering) degree apprenticeship last year, graduating at the University’s October ceremonies on Ipswich Waterfront.

The Ipswich-based graduate, who was employed by BT through her studies, has remained with the firm and is now a Subsea Network Engineering Professional.

Her role plays a key part in maintaining the underwater cable estate that connects the UK mainland with its smaller islands, as well as with Europe and beyond.

The award shortlisting comes in recognition of Xenia’s work, which included independently managing a full regression test project for a core network router upgrade – work typically undertaken by far more experienced colleagues.

She also contributed to team development through technical knowledge sharing sessions, leadership roles within project teams and taking on the task of an engagement representative to strengthen communication between staff and management.

She began the apprenticeship with no prior experience of coding, but quickly elevated her skills across her training. She achieved the highest score among her cohort for her dissertation, which focused on improving risk prediction for subsea telecommunications cables, using AI analysis of vessels to anticipate potentially-hazardous ship movements near critical infrastructure.

In addition, Xenia has been a staunch advocate for women in male-dominated STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) roles, as well as helping co-ordinate careers fairs and carried out engagement activities through the European Subsea Cable Association’s Next Generation Working Group.

Xenia said: “I feel very happy and honoured to be shortlisted for Apprentice of the Year.

“I didn’t have a technical background before starting the apprenticeship and felt like I had a lot of catching-up when I first started.

“Now that I have completed my apprenticeship, it is rewarding to have my hard work recognised with this shortlisting.”

Xenia had originally been eyeing a career in the humanities, after initially pursuing a Comparative Literature and English course when she moved to Scotland from Germany.

But her career ambitions pivoted after realising her creativity could also be applied in the technology sector, to “find new solutions to difficult problems”.

She added: “I wanted to learn the skills to fix problems with technology. Luckily, I found my niche in a really interesting team along the way, and I’m now applying my knowledge to protecting critical national infrastructure in the form of subsea telecommunications cables.”

The awards finals will be held on Thursday 30 April in Leeds.

It is not the first time Xenia has been recognised during her apprenticeship. In 2024 she scooped the Professional Development Award at the IT and Digital Apprenticeships Awards held in Birmingham.

Yvonne Malpass, Director of Apprenticeships at the University of Suffolk, said: “Xenia’s shortlisting for the Apprentice of the Year Award is richly deserved, and we are delighted her efforts have been recognised.

“Xenia consistently exceeded expectations and demonstrated excellent academic growth during her time with us, as well as proving herself to be a hard-working team player and advocate for STEM careers. We wish her every success at the awards and in her future career.”

Jane Atkinson, Senior Manager of BT’s Subsea Team, said: “Xenia’s shortlisting is thoroughly deserved. She consistently demonstrates technical curiosity, independence and maturity beyond her experience, and has made a genuine impact on our team and the wider business.

“We wish her the best of luck for the award ceremony and are proud of her accomplishments in BT Subsea and beyond.”’

To find out more about apprenticeship opportunities at the University of Suffolk, visit the webpage here.

More information about the Apprenticeship Guide Awards is available here.