TWO Wokingham businesses came out tops in the first-ever Berkshire Apprenticeship Awards.
Maiden Erlegh School won the Most Innovative Education-Based Apprenticeship Promotion Initiative Award the Best Adult Apprentice Award went to Kyle Marshall of Wokingham-based Jacobs.
The event, hosted by Legoland Windsor, is aimed at showcasing the important contribution apprenticeships make to learners, businesses and the local economy.
Berkshire Apprenticeship Service is hosted by Slough Aspire.
Commenting on the inaugural celebration Slough Aspire’s Chief Executive Fiona Jones said: “This is a great opportunity to put apprenticeships centre stage. All our nominees are testament to the difference apprenticeships can make, with these organisations all reaping the many rewards from securing skilled employees for the future, impacting their bottom line to breathing fresh life into their business and improving staff loyalty and training.”
“Yet despite all these huge advantages Berkshire still tails behind the national picture with only 6% of workplaces in the county having an apprentice, versus 12% nationally. We need to shine a light on apprenticeships to encourage more organisations to step forward and embrace the apprenticeship advantage.”
Paul Reilly, Managing Director of Peter Brett Associates, now part of Stantec, added: “We’re delighted to have been honoured by the Berkshire Apprenticeship Service for the work we do to support and develop apprenticeships. These awards not only recognise the performance and quality of our apprentices but they also acknowledge the hard work that our experienced teams and managers put into supporting and coaching our younger staff.”
The winners for the awards were all decided on by a panel of expert judges of leading figures and employers from across Berkshire.
Roll of honour
Best Training Provider Award: West Berkshire Training Consortium
Most Innovative Education-Based Apprenticeship Promotion Initiative Award: Maiden Erlegh School
Best Apprentice Employer (non-levy payer) Award: The Forbury Group
Best Apprentice Employer (levy-payer) Award: PBA now part of Stantec
Star Apprentice Manager Award: Andrew Gadd, Arvato UK
Star Achiever Apprentice Award: Erica Deane, PBA now part of Stantec
Best Young Ambassador Apprentice Award: Vikas Khan, Arvato UK
Best Adult Apprentice Award: Kyle Marshall, Jacobs
For future information on the Berkshire Apprenticeship Service visit www.sloughaspire.com
