A brand new apprenticeship awards competition has been launched for Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin – the first of its kind in the county.
It will celebrate the brightest and best workers who are ‘earning while they are learning’ – as well as recognising employers driving ambition and education through their support of apprenticeships.
There will be an overall star apprentice crowned for the Shropshire Council area, and an overall champion for Telford & Wrekin. There are also awards for small, medium and large sized employers.
Individual apprentice of the year categories include Construction & Civil Engineering, Health & Social Care, Engineering & Manufacturing, IT & Digital Industries, Hospitality Leisure & Tourism, Creative & Media, and Business Legal & Finance.
The competition is backed by some of the county’s biggest and best names, led by headline sponsors Aico – the reigning Shropshire company of the year – and Telford College, the largest further education centre in the region.
Other sponsors include Dyke Yaxley, In-Comm, McPhillips, Northwood Hygiene Products, Pave Aways, Purple Frog Systems, and University Centre Shrewsbury.
The competition is being organised by award-winning Shropshire events company Yarrington, which has years of experience running major awards in other parts of the UK, including apprenticeship awards in the Black Country.
They are working in partnership with Shropshire Business Live TV, which will be filming and streaming the awards for broadcast on multiple platforms.
The awards are free to enter, and nominations are now open. The closing date for entries is June 28th.
Shortlisted finalists will be notified in July, and the awards will be handed out at a glittering presentation night in front of the SBLTV cameras in October.
The competition was officially launched at Telford Skills Show, held at the town’s International Centre.
Mark Allsop, managing director of Yarrington, said: “It’s a celebration of the brightest and best apprentices in the county, and the businesses which go the extra mile to support the next generation of skilled staff.
Carl Jones, producer and presenter at SBLTV, added: “Being shortlisted for one of our awards brings many benefits to you or your business. It could boost your reputation, help you stand out from the competition – and also bring you new customers. What have you got to lose?”
To qualify for an individual award, apprentices must be on a current programme in the relevant sector, with a company which is based in either the Shropshire, or Telford & Wrekin local authority areas.
To qualify for a company award, businesses must have at least one operational base in either Shropshire or Telford & Wrekin, and employ current or past apprentices.
Pictured: At the Telford Skills Show to launch the awards are Carl Jones and Chris Pritchard from Shropshire Business Live TV with Dan Smith (centre), from Yarrington
