Let’s take a closer look at ‘The 11’ for November 2023 and find out why each apprentice was included…
Harrison Chamberlain | Colchester United
Despite having only joined the LFE Apprenticeship Programme in the autumn of last year, Colchester goalkeeper Harrison Chamberlain has made rapid progress both on and off the pitch. Harrison missed the first couple of months of his first year but that hasn’t deterred his development at all, swiftly catching up on his classroom work, whilst making a real impression on the grass. The young shot stopper has trained with the first team and has also made appearances for the U23s. Harrison has also been working on attaining a goalkeeping coaching qualification after attending a course ran by former LFE apprentice, Yilmaz Aksoy. On top of that, the 17-year-old has gained outstanding grades in his BTEC Diploma so far and is also progressing well with his extra-curricular Psychology A Level. He is said to have “impressed all staff with his maturity, attitude and determination, plus his ability to cope with major changes in his life going from sixth form in Kent, to digs in Colchester.”
Lenny Holden | Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient’s Lenny Holden has been described as an “exceptional apprentice.” Off the pitch, Lenny is consistent in his work and regularly achieves distinctions in his BTEC Diploma. He’s also working towards an A grade in his Maths A Level. On the pitch, the young goalkeeper showed immense resilience and mental strength during his first year when injuries kept him out of the fold. Fortunately now, he’s back playing every game and is well on his way to full fitness. Lenny’s LFE Regional Officer, Simon Dwight said: “As an individual, Lenny is a highly skilled communicator. He leads the group he is in and considers his responses in conversations and workshops. I fully endorse his inclusion in the 11.”
Makise Evans | Stevenage
Makise Evans has thrived in 2023, having enjoyed extremely successful periods on and off the pitch. The 17-year-old striker from Hemel Hempstead ended last season by becoming Stevenage’s youngest ever EFL appearance maker as he earned minutes in their promotion-winning campaign. While League One appearances have been harder to come by, Evans has trained regularly with the first team and gained more senior experiences with loan spells in non-League. Off the field, Makise has shown great maturity as a leading figure in the apprentice group, has coped with living away from home, and has stretched himself academically where he is on course to get the highest possible grades in his BTEC diploma.
Raekwan Nelson | Bristol City
Raekwan Nelson has been described as a “polite, engaging, and positive individual” who has made excellent progress on his apprenticeship, especially since the start of his second year. His hard work on the pitch has resulted in him being offered a professional contract and has seen him being involved in first team match day squads in recent weeks. Having already completed functional skills in his first year, Raekwan continues to demonstrate role model behaviours and manage his time effectively to ensure he remains on track in his education in order to achieve his target grade despite the additional demands he faces. His attitude and progress has been rewarded recently by receiving Bristol City’s Scholar of the Month Award for both September and October.
Joe Johnson | Luton Town
Joe Johnson has enjoyed a remarkable 2023 in which he has gone from being a first year apprentice playing for the Under-18s in the EFL Youth Alliance to being a regular on the bench for Luton’s first team in the Premier League and getting called up by England’s Under-18s. An attacking left-back from Totteridge in north London, Joe has excelled on the pitch with exciting displays for the U18s and U21s, leading to a first team call-up at the end of last season as Luton snatched the most unlikely of promotions. His improvement over the summer was such that Rob Edwards put him straight into his first team squad at only 17. Joe has also coped off the pitch where he is heading for the highest grades in his BTEC and is also doing well in A level Maths, while becoming a “hugely impressive and mature young man” according to his LFE Regional Officer, Gavin Willacy.
Keenan Gough | Charlton Athletic
Keenan Gough has been described as an “optimistic and well-mannered individual, who always comes in with a smile and a good attitude.” Keenan’s last period has been outstanding according to his tutors. He has completed all of his education tasks to the distinction standard, including two extended units, where he has shown the ability and discipline to work independently. He has completed his UEFA C Coaching Certificate, working with young Charlton academy players, putting on sessions six consecutive weeks in a row. He has also refereed three academy games as part of his referee course. In working with Charlton’s U9-14 players across both of these disciplines, he is becoming a real role model for the young players. Keenan is also on course to enter gateway for the SEP and has compiled some fantastic evidence, reflecting in an insightful manner across all of the disciplines. He has performed consistently well, being part of the U21 squad since the start of the season. He has played in all of the U21 fixtures and developed in all areas of his game, showing leadership qualities too. “He is the true example of an aspiring young professional” said Gavin Willacy, Keenan’s LFE Regional Officer.
Frankie Baker | Millwall
Frankie Baker has enjoyed a brilliant season so far. He has scored goals in the U18s, played games in the U21s and been outstanding. His coaches say it is pleasing to see the improvements he has made in his game and the confidence he is playing with and to think he would be in this position at this stage of his development is something that no one would have foreseen. His progress is said to be down to his mentality, hard work, and the time he has spent working on his game. He has been described as “selfless with his work ethic and contribution to the team.” In his BTEC, Frankie is on track to complete. His attendance, behaviour and attitude is excellent according to his tutors. In SEP, Frankie has completed all units, video showcase and is at gateway awaiting his three assessments targeting distinction.
Lucas Dawson | Hull City
Hull City’s Lucas Dawson has made a fantastic start to life as an apprentice, shining on and off the pitch. Lucas signed his scholarship originally as a midfielder back in July, however due to the way Hull’s U18s play, he has now converted into a central striker and has made the transition a seamless one, banging in the goals on a regular basis. He’s since been involved with the U21s. Academically, Lucas has performed brilliantly, regularly producing high level work in his BTEC and SEP portfolio. The young striker has also been going the extra mile in his own time by doing some essential work within the local community. He and other apprentices have been engaging with local primary schools, supporting young people with their literacy and numeracy skills. Lucas has also been getting involved with coaching, teaming up with some of the academy coaches and helping out with the U9s/10s sessions.
Isaac Allan | Lincoln City
Isaac Allan has “developed and grown into a very confident and capable young man during his time on the apprenticeship” said his LFE Regional Officer, Ian Tombs. “He is extremely independent, always driven, highly motivated and responsive to learn further to achieve the best he can both within and outside of the programme.”
Isaac is said to continually strive to make further developments football wise and academically, as well as personally becoming a highly valued employee at Lincoln City, as reflected by working as hard as possible within all environments to achieve the highest quality possible in everything he commits too. He has been described as a “great professional and a role model to others.”
Jacob Scott | Northampton Town
Jacob Scott has made excellent progress in his football and leadership abilities, growing in more confidence as a footballer which has positively impacted on his own performances. Further helped by him continually wanting to improve by performing additional sessions to further refine areas of his game, this has strengthened him in his playing position and overall football development. Education wise, Jacob has made strong academic progress, helped by always being responsive to learn in all his education sessions so that he can continue to grasp a more thorough understanding of related topic content, therefore he continues to produce work that reflects the higher level of understanding, whilst maximising his learning potential to consistently work above his academic target grades. His LFE Regional Officer, Ian Tombs said: “Jacob Is always proactive to develop his employability and interpersonal skills which has supported his growth in personal development, positively impacting on him both within and outside his occupational role, further helped by consistently being curious and ambitious to learn more in all elements of the programme and enhancing his employability skills set status.”
Ephraim Osei Yeboah | Bristol City
Ephraim Osei Yeboah continues to make good progress across all elements of his apprenticeship. He’s been described as a “happy and bubbly character that always demonstrates a positive attitude.” Ephraim’s dedication and motivation has seen him already sign a professional contract and make eight first team appearances following his debut in August. Off the pitch, he has remained focused in his education, where he has already achieved his functional skills and is continuing to work well towards his BTEC target grade, despite additional demands and commitments, his efforts have also been recognised by the club by winning Bristol City’s Scholar of the Month Award for September, alongside teammate and fellow 11 inclusion, Raekwan Nelson.
