Victoria Rawlings, Worcestershire Apprentice of the Year 2015, is urging local people, schools, businesses and training providers to enter or place nominations for this year’s awards before 30 June 2016.
Victoria’s double win at the 2015 Worcestershire Apprenticeship Awards awards has proved a launch-pad for her further career success, and she is encouraging others to share the success before nominations close on 30 June.
Victoria Rawlings, Higher Apprentice and Worcestershire Apprentice of the Year 2015 said: “When my submission was put in last year, I didn’t expect to be short-listed, let alone win two awards on the night. Regardless of winning these awards, the evening is such a good night, with beautiful decorations, great hosts, delicious food and it made me feel incredibly proud to be involved.
“Worcestershire Apprenticeships is something everyone should be part of, and I encourage anyone to get their applications in before the 30th June.”
Tables are on sale as well as sponsorship opportunities for the awards which will take place on 17 November 2016 at West Midland Safari Park.
The Awards, now in their third year, have been previously hosted by The BBC’s Apprentice, Nick Hewer, and Broadcaster, Steph McGovern, and consistently attract an audience of over 300 people.
This year Tim Campbell MBE, business owner and winner of the first series of BBC’s The Apprentice, will host and present the 12 awards to celebrate some of the County’s most successful apprentices, schools, training providers and apprentice employers. Since winning The Apprentice, Tim went on to work for Alan Sugar for three years, leading Amstrad’s foray into the health and beauty market, before founding the Bright Ideas Trust, an organisation that supports young aspiring entrepreneurs with advice, encouragement and investment.
The 2016 Worcestershire Apprenticeship Awards will recognise excellence in 12 categories:
Apprentice Awards
School of the year – sponsored by The Development Manager Ltd/ VLE Middleware – IT Hosting and Support
Intermediate Level Apprentice of the year – sponsored by eResponse
Advanced Level Apprentice of the year – sponsored by Ormerod Rutter
Higher Level Apprentice of the year – sponsored by Morgan Motor Company
Worcestershire Apprentice of the year (main apprentice award) – sponsored by Worcester Bosch Group.
Employer Awards
Newcomer Apprenticeship Employer
Small Apprenticeship Employer of the year (< 50 employees)
Medium Apprenticeship Employer of the year (> 50 employees) – sponsored by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce
Large Apprenticeship Employer of the year (> 250 employees) – sponsored by Sanctuary Group
Apprentice Ambassador of the Year – sponsored by the Training Academy
Training Provider of the Year – sponsored by Worcestershire Training Providers Association
Worcestershire Apprenticeship Employer of the Year (main employer award) – sponsored by Yamazaki Mazak UK Ltd.
Confirmed sponsors for this year’s awards include: eResponse, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce, Morgan Motor Company, The Training Academy, Sanctuary Group, Ormerod Rutter, VLE Middleware/Mahara and Worcestershire Training Providers Association. Once again, the two main awards are being sponsored by: Yamazaki Mazak Ltd for Worcestershire Apprenticeship Employer of the Year and Worcester Bosch Group for Worcestershire Apprentice of the Year as well as sponsors for each of the other categories and a limited number of sponsorship opportunities remaining.
Gary Woodman, Chief Executive of the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The Worcestershire Apprenticeship Awards are always a fantastic event for showcasing and celebrating the high-quality apprenticeship opportunities that are available within the County. This is a great opportunity for businesses and their apprentices to receive recognition for their success and I would therefore urge any interested parties to enter the awards at the earliest opportunity.”
Cllr Dr Ken Pollock, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Economy, Skills and Infrastructure at Worcestershire County Council, added: “There is less than a month left to submit nominations for the 2016 Worcestershire Apprenticeship Awards, and I would encourage everybody to get involved. The last two years have been thoroughly enjoyable and I am certain that 2016 will be just as good.”
For more information about apprenticeships locally and to nominate for this year’s Worcestershire Apprenticeship Awards before the 30 June 2016 deadline, visit the Worcestershire Apprenticeships website.
Completed nominations, and enquiries for sponsorship opportunities and table bookings for the awards should be sent to awardsnominations@worcestershire.gov.uk.
Join the conversation on Twitter using #WorcsApprentice.