What impact have supply chain apprenticeships had on your organisation? Perhaps you have taken such a course and it has led you to a highly rewarding career? Whatever your experience – a submission to the National Apprenticeship Awards (which are now open to entries for 2017) would be the perfect way to highlight the value of investing in the learning and development of apprentices in UK businesses.
The awards are now in their 14th year, and showcase the many different sectors to which apprenticeships make a difference, while also celebrating the most outstanding apprentices and employers. They are hosted by the National Apprenticeship Service, and help to spread awareness of the significant contribution that apprentices make to British workplaces and how apprenticeships can assist businesses in the growth of their own talent.
So, what do you need to know if you would like to enter this year’s National Apprenticeship Awards, whether as an employer or apprentice?
The steps to take to apply
Whether you would like to apply for this year’s awards as an apprentice or employer, the closing time and date for entries is 5pm on 26th May, and you must be based in England. The apprenticeships of entrants must also be compliant with the Specification of Apprenticeship Standards for England (SASE) or the new Apprenticeship Standards.
Certain requirements also apply to the various categories of the awards. Those wishing to enter the Apprentice of the Year category, for instance, are required to be currently undertaking the level of qualification applicable to their chosen category or to have completed that level within the last 12 months – in other words, since May 2016.
Meanwhile, apprentice-employing organisations are eligible for either the Employer of the Year (Small, Medium, Large and Macro categories) or Newcomer of the Year (SME and Large categories) on the basis of their total headcount – not full-time equivalent – of employees in the UK.
Visit the website of the National Apprenticeship Awards today to learn more about the application process and everything else that you need to know about this year’s awards, and the all-too-rare opportunity that they present to celebrate excellence in the businesses that grow their apprentice talent, as well as the apprentices themselves.
