A ceremony in Oxfordshire has honoured the county’s trainees, companies and education providers involved in vocational learning programmes.
The milestone event marked a decade of the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards, held on May 21 at the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities in Oxford and staged by Enterprise Oxfordshire.
Close to 200 attendees gathered to celebrate individuals, businesses and trainers who displayed exceptional results in workplace education.
The awards, guided by an industry-focused committee, seek to highlight the importance of apprenticeship schemes and encourage more businesses countywide to participate.
Helen Brind, business and skills director at Enterprise Oxfordshire, commented on the occasion, noting that over the past decade the programme had acknowledged hundreds of the county’s apprentices and champions of vocational training. She said the organisation was pleased to add further names of individuals and enterprises to this group.
She added that Enterprise Oxfordshire maintained its dedication to acknowledging apprenticeship talent just as strongly as when the awards were first established ten years prior, and would keep helping the business sector seize important chances to benefit from such initiatives, including those linked to the new Growth and Skills Levy.
Prizes were presented across ten different sections, covering categories such as Intermediate, Advanced and Higher Apprentice of the Year, alongside Rising Star and Shining Star accolades.
This year’s principal sponsor was Popham Hairdressing, which additionally selected the overall Apprentice of the Year recipient.
The victor in that classification was Lucy Harold, a trainee biomedical scientist employed by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Harold also secured the Higher Apprentice of the Year prize.
Additional category winners comprised:
Chelsey Church, who trains as a furniture maker at Bill Cleyndert & Company, claimed Intermediate Apprentice of the Year. Callum Gordon, group car schemes advisor at Alphabet (GB), part of BMW Group, took Advanced Apprentice of the Year. Dominique Southwick, finance and human resources manager at Darcica Logistics, received the Shining Star award. Shilpa Bhatt, apprenticeships and widening participation lead at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and BOB ICS, was named Skills Champion. Company accolades were presented to Live Wire Event Solutions in the employer under 250 staff category, and to Atlassian Williams F1 Team among employers with more than 250 employees.
The gathering also addressed the evolving environment of skills financing, acknowledging the recent switch from the Apprenticeship Levy to the Growth and Skills Levy.
Enterprise Oxfordshire has assisted county businesses in accessing and deploying apprenticeship funding, facilitating the commencement of 551 apprenticeship and learner placements since the levy was introduced.
The organisation adopted its current trading name in April 2025, following a transition that placed economic development responsibilities under the oversight of Oxfordshire County Council.
The council now serves as the sole shareholder of Enterprise Oxfordshire.