Five companies, three apprentices and one former apprentice are celebrating after taking home top prizes at the National Apprenticeship Awards 2013.
The winners, representing a range of categories ranging from Unilever Higher Apprentice of the Year to Jaguar Land Rover Small Employer of the Year, beat off competition from over 1,600 entrants to be presented with their awards by Skills and Enterprise Minister, Matthew Hancock at The Skills Show at the NEC in Birmingham last night.
The Awards, now in their tenth year, are run by the National Apprenticeship Service and recognise excellence in two areas: businesses that grow their own talent with apprentices and apprentices who have made a significant contribution to their workplaces.
Winners included former IT apprentice Chloe Gailes from Barclays, who was crowned City & Guilds National Apprenticeship Champion of the Year 2013 after polling the highest number of public votes from a shortlist of 10.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was guest of honour at the Awards and said:
“To lock in our economic recovery we need a new generation of talent entering the world of work and I am committed to making sure young people today get the opportunities they need to realise their full potential.
“Since 2010, we have created a million and a half new apprenticeships but none of that would have been possible without events like this and the support of businesses who go that extra mile to help our apprentices progress.
“I was delighted to be able to meet so many of our young apprentices and businesses from across England at the Apprenticeship Awards tonight - it is the drive and ambition that we celebrated here that will, in the years ahead, help our country and its people thrive.”
Skills and Enterprise Minister, Matthew Hancock said:
“Apprenticeships deliver for employers, young people, adults and the economy.Icongratulatethe winners and finalists at the National Apprenticeship Awards.
“Theyrepresent the very best of employers and apprentices in this country and set a hugely positive example for other individuals and organisations to follow.
“Iwanta system thatworks for businesses as well as learners. These awards demonstratethis andI am pleased to see so manylearners, businesses andpartners showing their commitment toApprenticeships."
Chloe Gailes from Barclays, City & Guilds Apprenticeship Champion of the Year 2013, said:
“The Barclays Apprenticeship has proved to be an excellent platform for the progression of my career, allowing me to join a company where progression opportunities are abundant. I have recently been promoted to a grade beyond the expectations for an apprentice and have numerous opportunities ahead of me.
“Over the course of the Apprenticeship I have been involved in several recruitment events for the new intake of apprentices, and have done as much as I can to spread the word about how you can earn while you learn on an Apprenticeship.
“I am very proud to have done an Apprenticeship and I want to pass on my experience and knowledge to others.
“Winning this title means I can build on the fantastic job the 2012 champion, Jenny Westworth from BAE Systems has done, and it will enable me to support the growth of Apprenticeships, becoming a role model for other apprentices.”
On accepting the award for the Nuclear Decommissioning Site Licence Companies-sponsored medium employer of the year category, Paul Cadman, HR Director of Walter Smith Fine Foods said:
“Apprenticeships bring myriad benefits to our business. By training apprentices on and off the job we are able to mould and shape them in the ways we want and need them to behave. They become Walter Smith people who know our business and all of our shop managers were once apprentices themselves.
“We’re now leading an employer ownership of skills project in the industry, which if approved will enable us to recruit and train apprentices for other independent butchers and fine food retailers. We hope this will lead to a further 250 apprentices and bring a much needed boost to high streets over the next four years.”
National Apprentice Award Winners 2013
Individual winners
Category
Apprentice
Employer
Town
learndirect
Intermediate Level Apprentice of the Year
Lydia Webster
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
Truro
EAL (Excellence,
Achievement & Learning Limited) Advanced Level Apprentice of the Year
Sadie Hawkins
IBM United Kingdom Ltd
Winchester
Unilever
Higher Apprentice Apprentice of the Year
Jessica Kirby
Cirkle Communications
Beaconsfield
City & Guilds Apprenticeship Champion of the Year
Chloe Gailes
Barclays Bank PLC
Knutsford
Individual Highly Commended
Category
Apprentice
Employer
Town
learndirect
Intermediate Level
Toby Schofield
Brooks Lane
Chichester
Michelle Sawyer
Wolverhampton Homes
Wolverhampton
EAL (Excellence,
Achievement & Learning Limited) Advanced Level
Sarah Ratcliffe
Sarah’s Hair
Bolton
Ben Coope
Derry Building Services Ltd
Newark
Unilever
Higher Apprentice
Emma Calver
British Telecom
Ipswich
Natasha Pitts
Dale Power Solutions Ltd
Scarborough
City & Guilds Apprenticeship Champion of the Year
Nichola Mitchell
BAE Systems
Blackburn
Karen Lowry-Hall
The Community Housing Group
Kidderminster
Employer winners
Category
Company name
Main location
Jaguar Land Rover
Small Employer of the Year (1 - 24 employees)
Fairfield Control Systems Limited
Newark
Nuclear Decommissioning Site Licence Companies
Medium Employer of the Year (25 - 249 employees)
Walter Smith Fine Foods Limited
Birmingham
BAE Systems
Large Employer of the Year (250 - 4,999 employees)
BAM Nuttall Ltd
Camberley
Livity
Macro Employer of the Year (5000+ employees)
BT
London
Investors in People
Apprenticeship Newcomer
HSBC Bank plc
Birmingham
Employer Highly Commended
Category
Company name
Main location
Jaguar Land Rover
Small Employer of the Year (1 - 24 employees)
Elements lifestyle
Oxted
Smart Assessor
Rugby
Nuclear Decommissioning Site Licence Companies
Medium Employer of the Year (25 - 249 employees)
Barlows UK Ltd
Malpas
Liebherr Sunderland Works Ltd
Sunderland
BAE Systems
Large Employer of the Year (250 - 4,999 employees)
ITV plc
London
Kier North Tyneside Ltd
North Tyneside
Livity
Macro Employer of the Year (5000+ employees)
Capgemini UK
Woking
Greene King plc
Bury St. Edmunds
Investors in People
Apprenticeship Newcomer
Gordons LLP
Bradford
PwC
London
About the National Apprenticeship Awards
The National Apprenticeship Service challenged the nation’s top Apprenticeship employers and apprentices to come forward and show how Apprenticeships have made a real difference to them.Now in their tenth year, the National Apprenticeship Awards are an opportunity to highlight the many success stories and the benefits of Apprenticeships.
There are five employer categories ranging from Small to Macro, and a newcomer category, which is new for the 2013 Awards. Categories are open to employers of all sectors.
For the third year running the very best employer category entries will have the additional bonus of featuring in the prestigious annual Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list,
There are four apprentice categories, which are: Intermediate, Advanced and Higher apprentice of the year, and the hotly contended Apprenticeship Champion of the Year.
About the National Apprenticeship Service
The National Apprenticeship Service supports, funds and co-ordinates the delivery of Apprenticeships throughout England.
We are responsible for increasing the number of Apprenticeship opportunities and providing a dedicated, responsive service for both employers and learners. This includes simplifying the process of recruiting an apprentice through Apprenticeship vacancies, an online system where employers can advertise their Apprenticeship job vacancies and potential apprentices can apply.
Apprenticeships bring considerable value to organisations, employers, individuals and the economy. Businesses across the country are increasingly realising the enormous benefits that Apprenticeships create, not only in terms of developing a highly skilled workforce but also by boosting productivity and staff retention.
Research shows that Apprenticeships are an optimal way of training, developing and skilling people for the future, helping businesses to secure a supply of people with the skills and qualities they need and which are often not available on the external job market.
About The Skills Funding Agency
The Skills Funding Agency is a partner organisation of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Its job is to fund and promote adult further education (FE) and skills training in England, including Traineeships and Apprenticeships, in a way which supports economic growth. The Agency delivers £4.1 billion of skills training through contracts with over 1,000 colleges, private training organisations and employers, with a highly effective supply chain that means FE meets local need in the most cost-effective way.
Within the Skills Funding Agency, there are two customer-facing services: the National Apprenticeship Service, which is responsible for increasing the number of Traineeship and Apprenticeship opportunities, and the National Careers Service, which provides impartial careers information, advice and guidance online, by telephone or face-to-face. The Skills Funding Agency also hosts the Information Authority, an independent body that acts on behalf of organisations involved in further education and training in England, setting data standards and governing data collection.
