The BristolLive and BathLive Apprenticeship Awards are back for another year.
The annual campaign seeks to find our cities’ best and brightest rising stars across all different industries and sectors.
It is also a chance to commend the businesses investing in fresh talent and the schemes that put apprentices on a path to success.
Joining us as headline sponsor of the awards this year is SGS.
South Gloucestershire & Stroud College supports more than 600 employers across the West of England with apprenticeship programmes.
This year the college has recruited 700 new apprentices, bringing the total number currently studying at the college to 1,750.
SGS College principal, Sara-Jane Watkins, said: "The apprenticeship services at SGS are responsive, bespoke, and deliver high quality account management, offering a highly personal and very effective vacancy matching service.
"The college is also highly effective at responding to the wider economic needs and over the past four years SGS has worked closely with the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) to ensure the skills gaps that are being identified by business are met."
One student who has experienced firsthand the experiences an apprenticeship can bring is Daniel John.
Daniel John, was elated to win not one but two awards last year - Outstanding Apprentice of the Year in Health, Education & Care and overall Apprentice of the Year.
Daniel’s manager at South Gloucestershire Council, Katie West, best describes Daniel’s achievements.
She said: “Daniel has surpassed any expectations I might ever have had about what an apprentice might achieve.
"I would have expected someone who is eager to learn, develop and impress. This described Daniel perhaps at the outset of his apprenticeship but once his self-confidence grew, he has gone on to make huge changes in the council that he has brought about himself, due to his genuine aspiration to make positive changes for others.”
Daniel supports the disabled employee group and has facilitated work experience for a school student with autism.
In terms of Daniel’s plans for the future. He said: “I intend to do further work around autism, helping to make workplaces more autism friendly.
"My ambition is to see the autism employability gap closed significantly over the coming years as only 32 per cent of autistic adults are currently in paid employment.
"Through the training I am currently delivering in my apprenticeship my aim is to raise awareness of autism in the workplace."
If you know someone who you think deserves some recognition, either as an apprentice or an apprenticeship provider, we want to hear from you.
To find out more about the awards visit the website - alternatively, you can nominate someone below.
