The ninth 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 22 May 2025 at Blenheim Palace.
We’re delighted to introduce The Engineering Trust as sponsor of the Skills Champion Award, which will recognise individuals who make a significant contribution to promoting apprenticeships and other vocational training routes, such as school/college careers professionals or teachers, business volunteers, work coaches and Enterprise Advisers.
Here, Mark Vingoe, CEO of The Engineering Trust, explains why the Trust has 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 Engineering Trust has been promoting engineering apprenticeships and training in Oxfordshire and surrounding areas since its inception 40 years ago. We work within schools/colleges and organisations focusing on raising awareness about engineering apprenticeships. Our aim is to widen the landscape of apprenticeship opportunities available and to fill skill gaps for engineering businesses.
The Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards provides an excellent platform to showcase the remarkable contributions made by businesses and individuals who are driving career development via apprenticeships and vocational training. Through our sponsorship, we aim to support and recognise the exceptional work being done to develop a skilled workforce in Oxfordshire.
The Skills Champion Award complements our mission and is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the hard work of individuals who provide information, advice and guidance to those seeking their next step in their education and/or career.
What are you looking for in the winner of your category?
We’re looking for someone who listens to and tailors their guidance to each person they advise. They will have the enthusiasm and drive to provide opportunities for those they work with, promoting, guiding or enabling the development of skills.
They should be able to give examples of who and how they have helped people find the right career or training to develop their skills.
What would you say to anyone thinking about entering or nominating?
There is a lot of great work already being done by some dedicated people within a whole range of organisations. Those who give brilliant advice and guidance are notoriously bad at celebrating their own success and they should be valued and recognised as ‘Skills Champion’. Such individuals just see it as ‘part of their job’, when in fact, they have a profound impact steering people into a career or training that sets them up for life. If you are that person, put your hand up and enter yourself. If you know that person, then nominate them as they probably just think ‘it’s just what I do’.
Tell us about your organisation’s experience of apprenticeships
The Engineering Trust was set up as a charity with the goal of promoting careers in engineering and manufacturing. Much of the work we do is in schools and colleges, working with career advisors, teachers and students providing information, advice and guidance about the routes into engineering. The Engineering Trust fulfils its charitable objectives through this work and via its subsidiary company Engineering Trust Training Ltd (ETT).
ETT delivers engineering, manufacturing and maintenance apprenticeships within Oxfordshire and surrounding counties. The Engineering Skills Academy (TESA), our training facility in Bicester, focusses on further enhancing the quality of apprenticeship delivery and offers local employers a provision dedicated to training their existing and future workforce. ETT works with a diverse set of companies designing bespoke apprenticeship programmes that are beneficial for all involved.
About the awards
The awards will be open for entries and nominations until midnight on the evening of Monday 24 February 2025. Finalists will be announced during Oxfordshire Apprenticeships Hour (hashtag #OAHour) across the OxLEP Skills social media channels from 13:00 on Thursday 24 April 2025. Winners will be announced at a special awards ceremony on Thursday 22 May 2025.
If you would like the opportunity to support the awards, please get in touch.
Join us for Oxfordshire Apprenticeships Hour (#OAHour) on X @OxonApprentice from 13:00-14:00 every Thursday for latest on the Awards and join in the conversation using the hashtag #OAAwards2025.