The eighth annual Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards will once again shine a spotlight on our county’s apprentices – and the businesses and organisations, training providers and schools that support their journey – recognising the huge contribution they make to our county’s economy at a special awards ceremony on Thursday 16 May 2024 at Williams Racing Conference Centre.
We’re delighted to introduce Blenheim and Pye Homes as sponsor of the Higher / Degree Apprentice of the Year Award, which will recognise level 4 and above apprentices who have excelled in their work, learning and development and made exceptional contributions to their workplaces.
Here, Megan Carter, People Director and Emma Norridge, People Manager, explain why they have chosen to sponsor this award and what apprenticeships mean to them.
Why are you supporting the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards and why you have chosen to sponsor your particular category?
The Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards are a fantastic way of highlighting how successful apprenticeship programmes can be to local businesses. It’s so important to celebrate the successes of what these apprentices achieve individually as well as raising awareness of how vital it is for local firms and businesses to support apprenticeships across the county.
We have chosen to sponsor the Higher / Degree Apprentice Award category because we want to recognise those who have continued with apprenticeships and really used them to maximize and develop their career.
What are you looking for in the winner of your category?
We will be looking for individuals who are passionate about their chosen careers and about selecting an apprenticeship as a route into their career. We will also be looking for evidence that they have clearly positively contributed and been a benefit to their respective employer(s) or business.
Someone who has worked extremely hard and is an ambassador for their local community and for apprenticeships in Oxfordshire, who is dedicated and has made a big impact to their employer.
What would you say to anyone thinking about entering or nominating?
Get as many recommendations from colleagues as you can and think about why your application is stand out.
Tell us about your organisation’s experience of apprenticeships
Blenheim Palace attracts visitors from around the world and is a filming location, a venue for weddings and events, as well as a producer and supplier of natural mineral water. Blenheim Estate is rich in forestry and farming practices, a landowner and construction business with a portfolio of residential and commercial properties.
It’s also a place where apprenticeships are valued, with a 10-year plan in place to employ 100 apprentices in all areas across the estate and Pye Homes, ensuring they are part of day to day life.
Joining the Blenheim and Pye apprenticeship scheme offers you a unique chance to gain hands-on work experience at one of the country’s most iconic world heritage sites or one of the local house building companies that is truly unique and cares about its legacy and communities, as well as achieve industry-recognised qualifications. Each year we welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors and are looking for motivated, enthusiastic and positive young people to get involved in national heritage as a career and help provide the best experience possible for them.
At Blenheim and Pye, the team bring every element of the business to life; a business that extends to a wider estate and welcomes anyone with a keen interest in property, building & contracting, farming, land management and much more. We even produce and sell our own mineral water, which comes from a natural spring on the Estate itself. Teams that take on apprentices include: marketing, finance, HR, gardens, rural, maintenance, operations, game, retail and construction.
About the awards
The awards will be open for entries and nominations until midnight on the evening of Monday 19 February 2024. Finalists will be announced during Oxfordshire Apprenticeships Hour (hashtag #OAHour) on Twitter @OxonApprentice from 13:00 on Thursday 18 April 2024. Winners will be announced at a special awards ceremony on Thursday 16 May 2024.
If you would like the opportunity to support the awards, please get in touch.
Join us for Oxfordshire Apprenticeships Hour (#OAHour) on Twitter @OxonApprentice from 13:00-14:00 every Thursday for latest on the Awards and join in the conversation using the hashtag #OAAwards2024.