Mia Howard is a Legal Services T-Level student who has demonstrated outstanding progress and achievement across both her academic studies and her workplace placement, rapidly evolving into a confident, capable and commercially impactful recruitment professional.

At just 19, Mia is in the second year of her T-Level at Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG), while completing an industry placement with Newcastle-under-Lyme-based recruitment agency Recruitment Robin.

Selina Rudzik, Managing Director of Recruitment Robin, says Mia is set apart not just by her participation in the workplace but by the level of responsibility she has earned and the measurable impact she delivers.

She said: “Initially joining in a support capacity, Mia has quickly progressed to independently managing full recruitment cycles. She now leads on advertising vacancies, screening candidates, shortlisting and coordinating interviews, demonstrating a level of ownership, professionalism and accountability well beyond that expected at her stage.

“In a recent project she managed a pipeline of 12 candidates, coordinated the full interview process and successfully supported the placement of a candidate from her shortlist, evidencing her ability to deliver real recruitment outcomes.”

Mia’s contribution has extended beyond business benefit into meaningful community impact. She independently managed a full pro-bono recruitment project for the charity Emmaus North Staffs, overseeing candidate shortlisting and end-to-end coordination. Through her work,she saved the charity approximately 20 hours of administrative and screening time and several thousand pounds in recruitment fees, while still delivering a high-quality hiring outcome.

Selina said: “Alongside her technical and professional development, Mia’s personal journey highlights remarkable resilience and determination. Overcoming a challenging background, she has fully embraced education and workplace learning as a pathway to success, transforming from a reserved student into a confident professional who actively contributes to business outcomes.

“Mia’s journey is a powerful testament to resilience and professional growth. She has evolved from a reserved student into a proactive team member who doesn’t just support our recruitment processes, she owns them. She has overcome significant personal and educational hurdles to become a vital part of our team, and we are incredibly proud to see her progressing to Aston University as a capable, confident professional.”

In addition to her studies and placement, Mia has independently launched and grown her own nail technician business into a profitable venture, demonstrating entrepreneurial drive, time management and commercial awareness alongside her academic and professional commitments.

Selina has nominated Mia in both the Young Business Person of the Year and Apprentice of the year categories of University of Staffordshire Business Awards.