Award for football apprentice

Jacob Webster, a second-year apprentice, is the League Football Education Apprentice of the Month for April.

He is hoping to follow in the footsteps of players such as Stephen Brogan, Ryan Taylor and Jamie Green into the Rotherham first team.

What lies behind the development of players such as these is the Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (ASE) programme.

It is a two-year course, taken between the ages of 16 and 18, in which apprentices study for an NVQ in Achieving Excellence in Sports Performance, an academic education qualification, a certificate in coaching football and learn key skills.

The programme came into existence in June 2004 and is managed by League Football Education (LFE), a partnership organisation created between the Football League and the PFA.

Keen to celebrate the success of apprentices who have excelled educationally or in the workplace and have showed commitment to the programme, the LFE have introduced the Apprentice of the Month Award which runs throughout the academic year and in conjunction with Nomis.

A presentation will be made at half time at Don Valley tomorrow by the Millers' head of youth, Steve Thornber.