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The finalists for the 2013 National Apprenticeship Awards have been revealed, highlighting the work of 27 companies and individuals.
The Awards, run by government agency the National Apprenticeship Service, recognise businesses that grow their own talent by employing apprentices, as well as the apprentices themselves and their contribution to the workplace.
The overall winners will be announced next Thursday at The Skills Show in Birmingham. The best employers will also feature in Personnel Today’s annual Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list, to be published next week.
There are five employer categories, ranging from small to “macro”, as well as a category for newcomers to apprenticeships.
Skills and enterprise minister Matthew Hancock said: “[The finalists] represent the very best of employers and apprentices in this country, and set a hugely positive example for other and individuals to follow.”
This week also saw the launch of the 2014 Brathay Apprentice Challenge, a competition that tests apprentices on their team building, logistical and communications abilities in a series of challenges. Teams can be made up of apprentices from a single employer, a group of small businesses or groups from the same industry sector.
The finalists for the National Apprenticeship Awards are as follows:
Small Employer of the Year (1-24 staff)
Elements Lifestyle, Oxted
Fairfield Control Systems, Newark
Smart Assessor, Rugby
Medium Employer of the Year (25-249 employees)
Barlows UK, Malpas
Liebherr Sunderland Works, Sunderland
Walter Smith Fine Foods, Birmingham
Large Employer of the Year (250-4,999 employees)
BAM Nuttall
ITV
Kier North Tyneside
Macro Employer of the Year (5,000+)
BT
Capgemini
Greene King
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Apprenticeship newcomer
Gordons
HSBC Bank
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Next week, Personnel Today will produce an exclusive guide to the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers in conjunction with the National Apprenticeship Service, highlighting the achievements of the winners of the National Apprenticeship Awards and the advantages of being an apprenticeship employer.
