2025 Apprenticeship Awards - got your tickets yet?

The entries are now in for the 2025 Shropshire Telford & Wrekin Apprenticeship Awards, which is looking to build on the incredible success of the debut event last year.

The competition will once again celebrate the brightest and best workers who are ‘earning while they are learning’ – as well as recognising employers driving ambition and education through their support of apprenticeships.

There will be an overall star apprentice crowned for the Shropshire Council area, and an overall champion for Telford & Wrekin. There are also awards for small, medium and large sized employers.

Individual apprentice categories this year include Construction & Civil Engineering, Health & Social Care, Engineering & Manufacturing, IT & Digital Industries, Creative & Media, Early Years & Education, and Business Legal & Finance.

The competition is backed by some of the county’s biggest and best names, led by headline sponsor Telford College with support from the Marches Careers Hub. Category sponsors include In-Comm Training, McPhillips, Pave Aways, Purple Frog Systems, J&PR, SBC and Shrewsbury Colleges Group.

To qualify for an individual award, apprentices must be on a current programme in the relevant sector, with a company which is based in either the Shropshire, or Telford & Wrekin local authority areas.

To qualify for a company award, businesses must have at least one operational base in either Shropshire or Telford & Wrekin, and employ current or past apprentices.

Shortlisted finalists will be notified in July, and the awards will be handed out at a glittering presentation night in front of the SBLTV cameras on October 2.

Carl Jones, producer and presenter at SBLTV, said: “We had a brilliant response last year, with nominations exceeding all our expectations, and a sell-out awards dinner. Hopefully this year will be even bigger and better.”

“It’s a celebration of the brightest and best apprentices in the county, and the businesses which go the extra mile to support the next generation of skilled staff.”

To watch the highlights from the 2024 event, see the SBLTV production here: https://youtu.be/QTABZnpADiA?si=7VM0EwI49OAYA9j0          

Last year’s winners came from a wide range of businesses, including Shropshire apprentice of the year Kieran Jone of Shropshire Council, and Telford & Wrekin apprentice of the year Luke Courtnell of McPhillips.

Other companies recognised for their teams or individual apprentices included i2r Packaging, PebblePad, Shropshire Festivals, Trench Tots, Connexis, Pave Aways and WR Partners.

The team behind the apprenticeship awards are looking to launch other sector-based awards for Shropshire Telford & Wrekin over the coming months, including a spotlight on farming and agriculture, hospitality and leisure, and retail.