Success celebrated at apprenticeship awards

This year's Liverpool, Cumbria and Lancashire Apprenticeship Awards were held at the splendid Blackpool Tower Ballroom.

National Apprenticeship Service challenged the nation's top apprenticeship employers and apprentices to come forward and show how apprenticeships have made a real difference to them. The Lancashire Economic Partnership sponsored the event.

The ceremony was a wonderful opportunity to showcase Lancashire's exceptional finalists and apprenticeship success stories.

Lancashire won in five out of the 10 categories demonstrating the incredible level of quality apprenticeships that are being delivered on our doorstep.

The following Lancashire apprentices and employers beat off the competition from entrants across the region to win in the regional final. Adam Huddleston, Dr Oetker UK Ltd., who is the McDonald's Award for Intermediate Apprenticeship of the Year Paul Haynes, BAE Systems (Submarines), who is the EAL Award for Advanced Apprentice of the Year Joanne Sharples, BAE Systems, who is the Nuclear Decommissioning Site Licence Companies Award for the Higher Apprentice of the Year A & G Precision and Sons Ltd., who won the E.ON in partnership with the National Skills Academy for Power Award for Medium Employer of the Year Silentnight Brands., who won the BAE Systems Award for Large Employer of the Year

Lancashire highly commended were: Craig Eccles, Paradigm Precision, for the McDonald's Award for Intermediate Apprenticeship of the Year Liam Hogan, Cathy at Image Hair and Beauty, for the City & Guilds Apprenticeship Champion of the Year Arthur Padgett Limited, for the Unilever Small Employer of the Year Driscolls Antiques Ltd., for the EDF Energy Award for Newcomer SME of the Year

The very best employer entries will have the additional bonus of featuring in the prestigious Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list.

The list of Top 100 employers is compiled annually by the National Apprenticeship Service in partnership with City & Guilds and recognises excellence in businesses that employ apprentices. It features the most exceptional apprenticeship employers from all of the National Apprenticeship Awards employer categories and showcases the breadth of employers who now offer apprenticeships.