Categories

Apprentice of the Year (Shropshire) – chosen from qualifying entries in all categories

Apprentice of the Year (Telford & Wrekin) – chosen from qualifying entries in all categories

Apprentice employer of the year (small) – for any company employing up to 25 staff

Apprentice employer of the year (medium) – for any company employing between 26 and 100 staff

Apprentice employer of the year (large) – for any company employing more than 100 staff

Manufacturing & Engineering apprentice of the year

IT & Digital Industries apprentice of the year

Health & Social Care apprentice of the year

Construction apprentice of the year

Business, Legal & Finance apprentice of the year

Creative & Media apprentice of the year

Early Years & Education apprentice of the year

Entry guidelines

For individual categories, judges will be looking for:
• Background information about the apprentice’s education journey, and their motivation for choosing an apprenticeship
• Problem-solving, teamwork, determination and motivation
• Evidence of specific skills and competencies gained through the apprenticeship, and planned future career path
• The difference which the apprentice has made to their employer’s systems, processes and/or productivity
• Testimonials from colleagues, managers, trainers and/or customers

For employer categories, judges will be looking for:
• Your motivation for employing apprentices – how many have you employed, and for how long?
• Progression opportunities for apprentices within the business
• Mentoring and training support for apprentices, including partnership working with training providers
• Evidence of continuous improvement and evolution of your apprenticeship programmes, and ‘buy-in’ from all levels of the company
• Relevant awards, accolades, case studies and testimonials