Three businesses, an apprentice and former trainee from the West Midlands will learn on Thursday if they have achieved top national prizes.
Smart Assessor in Rugby, HSBC Bank and Birmingham-based Walter Smith Fine Foods are in line for corporate recognition at the National Apprenticeship awards during the Skills Show at the National Exhibition Centre.
Michelle Sawyer, an apprentice at Wolverhampton Homes, and Karen Lowry Hall, a former apprentice at The Community Housing Group in Kidderminster, will find out if they have won an individual prize.
The awards, run by the National Apprenticeship Service, recognise excellence in two areas: businesses that grow their own talent with apprentices and apprentices who have made a significant contribution to their workplaces.
Smart Assessor is competing for the Small Employer of the Year award, Walter Smith Fine Foods is in line for the Medium Employer of the Year category and HSBC Bank, which has its headquarters in Birmingham, is aiming to win the Apprenticeship Newcomer of the Year category.
Skills and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock congratulated the finalists on their success: “The finalists in the National Apprenticeship Awards demonstrate how apprenticeships deliver for employers, young people, adults and the economy.”
Karen Woodward, from the National Apprenticeship Service, said: “An apprenticeship is a way for young people and adult learners to earn while they learn in a real job. It is only the nation’s top apprentices, who have made outstanding contributions in their workplaces, that get this far. All finalists should be very proud.”
