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 Jonas Software UK & Europe as a sponsor of the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards 2025.
Jonas Software UK & Europe acquires and grows innovative software firms, forming lifetime partnerships. Watch the Jonas Software UK and Europe group annual event film to find out more about them.
Here, Laureen McHaffie, Head of People & Culture, explains why the company have chosen to sponsor the awards and what apprenticeships mean to them.
Why are you supporting the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards?
We acquire businesses and hold them for life. Our first acquisition was Gladstone Software (based in Wallingford), then shortly followed by Xn Leisure (based in Abingdon). Our Head Office is also located in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, along with our central Finance, IT and People & Culture teams.
What would you say to anyone thinking about entering or nominating?
Entering or nominating an apprentice can be a valuable and rewarding experience for both the apprentice and the sponsoring organisation. Here are some key points to consider:
Investing in future talent:
Apprenticeships provide an opportunity to invest in the future workforce by developing skilled individuals who can contribute to the success of the organisation.
Skill development:
Apprenticeships offer hands-on, practical experience that can complement theoretical knowledge. This dual approach enhances the apprentice’s skill set, making them well-rounded professionals.
Diverse perspectives:
Apprenticeships can bring fresh perspectives and ideas to your organisation. New talent often brings innovation and can contribute to problem-solving in unique ways.
Long-term talent pipeline:
Apprenticeships can serve as a strategic approach to building a sustainable talent pipeline. By investing in training early in someone’s career, you increase the likelihood of retaining skilled professionals in the long term.
Tell us about your organisation’s experience of apprenticeships
We are still new to the apprenticeship programme, but we are building out lots of opportunities, not just to bring in entry level but upskilling existing employees. We have recently enjoyed success with our CMI level 3 & level 5 programme. In addition, we support apprentices in finance, network engineering and IT & telecoms across our group, we hope to grow this in 2024 and beyond.
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.