Keighley Luff, a Facilities management apprentice at Capital City College (CCC) and technical administrator at Chelsea Football Club, has won the prestigious Mayor of London Learning for Good Work award.
The award, organised by the Mayor of London Adult Learning Awards, recognises a Londoner who has achieved exceptional progression into employment or in-work progression due to further education and training, including overcoming barriers or challenges.
For the past two years, Keighley has worked as a technical administrator at Chelsea Football Club in London. She manages maintenance schedules, audit compliance, keeps asset registers up to date, books in financial reviews, general maintenance, and more.
Facilities management is traditionally a male-dominated field, which can present challenges for anyone starting out in their careers. For Keighley, the key was building confidence and proving to herself that she could succeed in the role.
To progress, Keighley knew she needed more experience behind her, which is what attracted her to CCC’s Level 4 apprenticeship in Facilities Management.
Rod Cottrell, Keighley’s tutor at CCC, said: “Keighley’s start to the apprenticeship was slow. She seemed disengaged from the course and it would have been easy to assume she wasn’t interested. But after spending time with her over one-to-one support sessions, it became clear that the real issue was confidence. Keighley didn’t believe she deserved her place on the programme, and that self-doubt held her back.
“Once we broke through that barrier, everything changed. She began to trust herself, ask for help when she needed it, and take real pride in her progress. Her turnaround was extraordinary. Not only did she catch up, but she took on extra responsibilities at Chelsea FC and finished the programme with a triple distinction — a result that speaks volumes about her determination and growth.”
It was this transition and improvement in her self-belief and confidence that signalled to Rod how Keighley was a prime candidate to be nominated for the Mayor of London Learning for Good Work award.
Keighley said: “The self-confidence that came with the apprenticeship has been absolutely astronomical. it gave me the ability to be in a room and say, I’m going to give it a go. Now I can have that opinion and not feel like everyone in the room looks at me like what am I talking about — that’s a huge transition for me.”
“Now, there’s stuff I’ve taken on that I never would have done before, and it’s that self-belief that finally came from the course. Before, I would have just stayed in the background, done the sort of admin work, not really done much else. Now my view has totally changed.”
Rod added: “Keighley has now offered to mentor future learners. That generosity and willingness to give back shows just how far she’s come — from doubting her place to becoming a role model for others.”
