The 18th Annual National Apprenticeship Awards took place last night, Wednesday 1st December.
For the first time ever a hybrid event was hosted with finalists, sponsors, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi and Minister for Skills Alex Burghart in attendance at 30 Euston Square, London. The event was also live streamed with family, friends and supporters from across the apprenticeship community able to join in the celebrations online.
Strictly Come Dancing and BBC star Dan Walker returned to host the Awards for a second year.
Apprentices, at all levels and from sectors including retail and commercial, digital and manufacturing, alongside employers from the science, public services and engineering and manufacturing sectors were announced as winners. Ten winners and 18 highly commended finalists were recognised from across all nine English regions.
The National Apprenticeship Awards shine the spotlight on business and individual success in apprenticeships, and how apprenticeships can boost business success and lead to dream careers.
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said:
I would like to pass on my personal congratulations to all the award winners and highly commended entries.
It was a pleasure to attend the ceremony, and to have the opportunity to take part in a celebration which recognises the very best apprenticeship employers and their dedicated and driven apprentices.
Apprenticeships are key to supporting the country to level up skills and opportunity, and recognising the commitment of these employers and individuals further highlights their importance.
The National Apprenticeship Awards 2021 winners and two highly commended in each category are:
| National Result | Category | Employer | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | The BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT Award for SME Employer of the Year | Lander Automotive Ltd | West Midlands |
| Highly Commended | The BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT Award for SME Employer of the Year | Higgins Partnerships | East of England |
| Highly Commended | The BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT Award for SME Employer of the Year | McCarrick Construction Co Ltd | North East |
| Winner | The British Army Award for Large Employer of the Year | Wakefield Metropolitan District Council | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Highly Commended | The British Army Award for Large Employer of the Year | Great Ormond Street NHS Trust | London |
| Highly Commended | The British Army Award for Large Employer of the Year | Flagship Housing Group | East of England |
| Winner | The Maersk Award for Macro Employer of the Year | J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited | West Midlands |
| Highly Commended | The Maersk Award for Macro Employer of the Year | Lloyds Banking Group | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Highly Commended | The Maersk Award for Macro Employer of the Year | Royal Navy | South East |
| Winner | The NCFE Award for Recruitment Excellence | LabCorp | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Highly Commended | The NCFE Award for Recruitment Excellence | Go-Ahead Group | London |
| Highly Commended | The NCFE Award for Recruitment Excellence | Royal Navy | South East |
| National Result | Category | Region | Name | Employer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | The Marshall Award for Intermediate Apprentice of the Year | East Midlands | Gemma Smith | Waitrose and Partners |
| Highly Commended | The Marshall Award for Intermediate Apprentice of the Year | South East | Ben Gray | Slough Borough Council |
| Highly Commended | The Marshall Award for Intermediate Apprentice of the Year | South West | Henry Powell | Barratt Developments PLC |
| Winner | The BT Award for Advanced Apprentice of the Year | London | Jessica Liddy | |
| Highly Commended | The BT Award for Advanced Apprentice of the Year | West Midlands | Gavin Archer | JCB Earthmovers Ltd |
| Highly Commended | The BT Award for Advanced Apprentice of the Year | North East | Eden McGlen | Unipres (UK) Limited |
| Winner | The Royal Navy Award for Higher or Degree Apprentice of the Year | East of England | Adam Hearn | Braintree Precision Components |
| Highly Commended | The Royal Navy Award for Higher or Degree Apprentice of the Year | North East | Kate Todd-Davis | Rolls-Royce plc |
| Highly Commended | The Royal Navy Award for Higher or Degree Apprentice of the Year | North West | Khadija Al-Selini | IBM |
| Winner | The Lloyds Banking Group Award for Rising Star | West Midlands | Nihal Dhillon | JCB Excavators Ltd |
| Highly Commended | The Lloyds Banking Group Award for Rising Star | North West | Cameron Ackroyd | Bentley Motors |
| Highly Commended | The Lloyds Banking Group Award for Rising Star | East of England | Erin Maciejewski | GlaxoSmithKline plc |
| Winner | The Royal Air Force Award for Apprenticeship Champion of the Year | North East | Ian Green | Nissan Motor Manufacturing |
| Highly Commended | The Royal Air Force Award for Apprenticeship Champion of the Year | East of England | Claire Wright | Rose Builders |
| Highly Commended | The Royal Air Force Award for Apprenticeship Champion of the Year | South West | Becca Thurston | Wessex Water |
The National Apprenticeship Awards 2021 also recognised how employers and apprentices are contributing to business recovery and highlighting those who have shown their ongoing resilience as we move toward a post Covid-19 world through 'Apprentices in Action'.
Apprentices submitted their stories, verified by their employer, as entries for this years' Special Recognition Award in association with EY - with the winner announced as Paige Orwig from AstraZeneca.
When COVID-19 pandemic was declared and the UK went into lockdown, Paige Orwig was part of a team of Drug Metabolism Pharmacokinetic scientist's whose work was considered by the government to be essential research for cancer research and as such, when lab work was required, scientists made the exceptional effort to continue to visit the site and carry out their work under extraordinary circumstances.
In April 2020 it was announced that AstraZeneca, GSK and the University of Cambridge would be collaborating to build a lighthouse COVID-19 testing lab. Paige immediately volunteered for this opportunity, willing to put her time, effort and expertise into the fight against this global pandemic.
Within her main role in sample preparation Paige quickly established herself as an organised, professional and extremely capable scientist and within weeks was assigned as deputy team lead for her sample preparation room.
Paige adjusted her study time around her new role, and through all the adversity was successful in her Chemistry Foundation Degree in Chemical Sciences at the University of Kent as well the SIAS Laboratory Scientist Level 5 Apprenticeship with a distinction.
Paige's exceptional and voluntary support of the Cambridge COVID-19 Test Centre shows her passion for science and improving the lives of patients across all disease areas. Paige quickly became an integral member of the team at the test centre and her hard work posed as an inspiration to her colleagues and fellow apprentices.
