Apprenticeships take the spotlight at Group’s Annual Award Ceremony

As part of National Apprenticeship Week 2025, the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group celebrated the outstanding achievements of its apprentices and employer partners at its Annual Apprenticeship Awards 2025.

Following a welcome speech from the Group’s Director of Apprenticeships, Chris Baker and Head of Marketing, Suzie Doherty, the ceremony was kickstarted with a musical performance from one of Wakefield College’s talented Performing Arts students, Harry Bladon.

Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire and Managing Director of We Are Wakefield, Claire Sutherley, delivered a compelling keynote speech about how apprenticeships are building a brighter future for the region. Clare thanked employers for their unwavering support towards apprenticeships and for recognising the potential in each apprentice, whilst encouraging apprentices to continue to thrive.

The achievements of these apprentices were acknowledged throughout the evening, with a range of awards presented:

• Business, Enterprise & Professional Apprentice of the Year (presented by the Apprenticeships Officer at Mid Yorks NHS Teaching Trust, Anita Mason) – Holly Ambler
• Construction Apprentice of the Year (sponsored by West Yorkshire Windows and presented by its Head of Human Resources, Karen Starkey) - Corey Maiden
• Engineering & Automotive Apprentice of the Year (presented by the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group’s Principal and Chief Executive, Sam Wright) – Jacob Hargreaves
• Health & Education Apprentice of the Year (presented by the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group’s Group Executive Director for Curriculum & Quality Standards, Lisa MacDonald) – Natallia Buben

A number of accolades were presented throughout the ceremony to acknowledge the contributions of the Group’s employer partners to apprenticeships, including:

• Large Employer of the Year (presented by Claire Sutherley) - Schneider Electric Global
• Small to Medium Employer of the Year (sponsored by Sigma and presented by its Group Compliance Director, Stephen Woolf) – Crompton Controls Ltd
• New Apprenticeship Employer of the Year (sponsored by Drax and presented by its Early Careers Development Manager, Lisa Marriott) – JBC Industrial Services

Chris Baker, Group Director for Apprenticeships at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, said:

“It’s fantastic to be able to bring together apprentices and employers from across the region at our Annual Apprenticeship Awards Ceremony to shine a light on the outstanding achievements and positive impact apprenticeships make to people, businesses and the wider economy. This year’s winners are a testament to this success, as well as the hard work of our fantastic tutors, assessors and professional staff who work collaboratively with our employers to enable each and every one of our apprentices to achieve.”

The ceremony concludes the Group’s activities for National Apprenticeship Week 2025, which included apprenticeship-themed Open Events at its Colleges in Castleford, Selby and Wakefield, as well as an Employer Breakfast at The Education Exchange in Knottingley.

The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group offers a range of Apprenticeship programmes in Business, Construction, Engineering, Healthcare and more.

It works with over 500 employers to deliver its Apprenticeship provision, which includes SMEs, local authorities and national organisations such as Unilever, Coca Cola, Haribo, ENGIE, Burberry, Warburtons, the Emergency Services, Bosch, Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation, Mars and NHS Trusts.

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