Teenage apprentice Alima Khatun has been awarded a top prize at an industry awards ceremony for her “outstanding contribution” to Tower Hamlets council in east London.

She has been working for the Town Hall for the past year and has now landed the title of Best Social Media for Business Apprentice of the Year.

“Alima has been a credit and fully deserved recognition,” the council’s web manager Oda Riska said. “Her work has been an asset to us which has benefitted the whole borough.”

The 19-year-old received the award from Just IT training and recruitment service at a Chartered Institute of IT ceremony at Covent Garden, which was packed with industry professionals and other apprentices.

Her role in the Town Hall’s communications team involves monitoring social media and updating the website for different council services, as well as creating online forms and providing analytic data.

Guest speakers at the awards included Jos Creese, former president of the Chartered Institute for IT, who spoke about the importance of apprenticeships and how they help get into the digital tech industry.

Entrepreneur Joshua Uwadiae, who started out as an apprentice, told the audience how the Just IT programme began the journey to starting his own company.

The Skills Funding Agency’s Sue Husband spoke about the success an apprenticeship can bring.

Just IT has dedicated apprentices who have completed the programme ahead of target and employers who have “gone above and beyond” to help them succeed.

The agency’s apprenticeships match young tech enthusiasts with companies looking to develop their own talent.

The apprenticeship scheme, supported by the government, has so far helped hundreds of young people begin their IT, website and digital-marketing careers, with access to 1,500 courses nationwide.