The national finalists for this year’s FE Week and AELP AAC Apprenticeship Awards have been revealed.
The awards, now in their fifth year, are a celebration of the very best in apprenticeship delivery and provide well-deserved recognition for the people, teams and organisations that make excellent apprenticeships happen.
A record-breaking 370 entries were received from training providers, colleges, universities and employers and we can now reveal the worthy finalists going forward to the national awards ceremony in March.
Shane Mann, managing director of FE Week’s publisher Lsect, said: “We have once again been blown away by the quality of nominations and especially of this year’s finalists.
“It’s been an incredibly challenging couple of years for apprentices, employers and providers, so to be able to return to in-person celebrations this year feels extra special.
“The ingenuity, creativity and care taken by our finalists to give apprentices the best experience possible throughout the pandemic has been inspirational. I can’t wait for the entire apprenticeships sector to come together this March to mark their exceptional work.”
This year’s awards, in association with NOCN, will feature 23 categories, including the illustrious apprenticeship provider of the year, which will be won by either Manchester Metropolitan University, Myerscough College, Realise or Remit Training.
The organisations up for apprentice employer of the year are Barratt Developments PLC, Great Ormond Street NHS, Iceland Foods and Lloyds Banking Group.
AELP chief executive Jane Hickie said: “I am delighted that for the fifth year, FE Week and AELP have come together to host the AAC Apprenticeship Awards.
“We received so many strong nominations across all categories, highlighting the amazing work of providers and employers. This shows the real strength of our sector, despite the challenges of the past few years.
“Throughout the judging process, we saw so many impressive examples of best practice in delivery for our learners and employers. I am really looking forward to the AAC gala dinner on March 22, where the winners will be announced.”
Four individuals are in the running for the outstanding contribution to the development of apprenticeships category.
They are Amy Smith, head of talent at Framestore (visual effects); Carole Carson, non-executive director at DBC Training; Ian Bamford, chief operating officer at Paragon Skills; and Sharon Blyfield, head of early careers GB at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.
Winners will be announced at the FE Week Annual Apprenticeship Conference taking place on March 21-22 in Birmingham.
AAC Judges:
Ben Blackledge, Deputy CEO, WorldSkills UK
Sharon Blyfield, GB Apprentice Lead, Coca-Cola European Partners
Charlotte Bosworth, CEO, Innovate Awarding
Thomas Burton, Group Director (Apprenticeships), NOCN
Rob Colbourne, Chief Executive Officer, Performance Through People Training
John Cope, Director of Strategy, Policy, & Public Affairs, UCAS
Patrick Craven, Director, City & Guilds
Sharon Green, Professor of Vocational Education and Deputy Head of School, NCFM
Jane Hadfield, National Senior Programme Manager – Apprenticeships, Health Education England
Jane Hickie, CEO, AELP
Jason Holt, Chair, Apprenticeship Ambassador Network
Susanna Lawson, Founder, OneFile
Anne Milton, Former Skills Minister
Sharron Robbie, MD, Devon & Cornwall Training Provider Network
Stewart Segal, Board member, AELP Board
Sue Taylor, Joint Chair, Association of Learning Providers Surrey
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