New apprenticeship awards to celebrate Shropshire and Telford &Wrekin

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 a champion for Telford & Wrekin. There are also awards for small, medium and large sized employers.

Individual apprentice of the year categories include Construction and Civil Engineering, Health and Social Care, Engineering and Manufacturing, IT and Digital Industries, Hospitality Leisure and Tourism, Creative and Media, and Business Legal and 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.

It 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, with a closing date of June 28.

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?”

For details, log onto stwaa.co.uk