Prestigious awards and special commendations have been handed out to dozens of learners and employers at National Apprenticeship Awards (NAAs) regional finals for the East Midlands and East of England. The last two of 11 NAA regional finals held over the last month took place at Sketchley Grange Hotel, Leicestershire, Thursday, October 29, and Rowley Mile Racecourse, Newmarket, on Tuesday, October 27, (winners pictured above) respectively. Awards and special commendations were announced for 19 employers and 16 apprentices, aged between 18 and 61, across the two events. More than 90 winners from all 11 regions will now be considered for the national finals — with three from each category set to be shortlisted ahead of a presentation ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, on January 26. Sue Husband, director of the National Apprenticeship Service, said that she wanted to pass on “huge congratulations to all the winners and highly commended at this year’s regional apprenticeship awards”. “All the ceremonies have been a huge success and have highlighted how apprenticeships are helping businesses and individuals succeed and grow,” she added. “Bring on the final, and I wish them all [the regional award winners] luck.” Regional finals took place for the South East on October 21, and Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Staffordshire, and South West, covering Thames Valley and Solent the following day. They came after ceremonies for the North West, covering Liverpool, Cumbria and Lancashire, South West, covering Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Bournemouth, Poole and South Gloucestershire, Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands, London, and the North East were held between October 8 and 15, as covered by FE Week. A Skills Funding Agency spokesperson said that the regional finals for the NAAs, which are now in their 12th year, had presented an important opportunity to “highlight the many success stories and the benefits of apprenticeships”. [slideshow_deploy id=’40936′] Here are the latest winners and highly commended apprentices and employers: East of England Winners: McDonald’s Award for Intermediate Apprentice of the Year: Ashleigh Everett, age 20, level two hairdressing, Boldero and Filby EAL Award for Advanced Apprentice of the Year: Daniel Swain, age 23, level three mechanical engineering, Delphi Diesel Systems The Nuclear Decommissioning Site Licence Companies Award for the Higher Apprentice of the Year: Callum Rowe, age 23, level four business administration, MBDA Ltd City & Guilds Award for Apprenticeship Champion of the Year: Neil Cain, age 51, level five horticulture, John O’Conner (Grounds Maintenance) Ltd Unilever Award for Small Employer of the Year: Suffolk Canine Creche Limited The E.ON in partnership with the National Skills Academy for Power Award for Medium Employer of the Year: Bango.net Ltd BAE Systems Award for Large Employer of the Year: MBDA BT Award for Macro Employer of the Year: Greene King EDF Energy Award for Newcomer SME of the Year: Oaks Hospital Highly Commended: Liam Bartle, age 20, level two customer service, Clarity Travel Management John Coombes, age 21, level three engineering, Ford Motor Company Chloe Lakey, age 21, level three delivery management British Telecom Holly De Boise, age 30, level five business administration, Hertfordshire County Council Dave White, age 35, level three telecommunication engineering, BT Ginger Nut Media IT Fleet Automotive B3 Living Limited E2v Technologies UK Ltd Computacenter Hertfordshire County Council Forensic Healthcare Services Limited Freedom Communications (UK) East Midlands Winners: AL Award for Advanced Apprentice of the Year: Oliver Chapman, age 21, level three IT, software, web & telecoms professionals, British Telecom The Nuclear Decommissioning Site Licence Companies Award for the Higher Apprentice of the Year: Alexander Hunt, age 19, level four life sciences and chemical science professionals, Unilever City & Guilds Award for Apprenticeship Champion of the Year: Michael Motley, age 61, level three metallurgical technician, British Steel Unilever Award for Small Employer of the Year: Aidan J Reed BAE Systems Award for Large Employer of the Year: Liebherr GB BT Award for Macro Employer of the Year: National Grid Highly Commended: Alex Newton, age 18, level three IT, software, web & telecoms professionals, Boots the Chemist Liam Roberts, age 21, level three construction building, Barratt Development Alice Winter, age 20, level four, supply chain management, Boots the Chemist Lee Mason, age 41, level three construction and plant maintenance engineer, Liebherr Emh group Travis Perkins Kwik-Fit (GB)