BRIDGWATER & Taunton College (BTC) has hosted its annual Apprenticeship Awards ceremony at the McMillan Theatre.
The annual awards ceremony brings together their employer partners, apprentices, and staff for an evening of celebrations.
Judges had the unenviable task of whittling down the record number of nominations to just 15 award winners to receive recognition for their hard work and contribution to their organisation.
Winners were announced by Matt Tudor, director of commercial development, strategy, and partnerships.
Matt said: “The accomplishments achieved by our apprentices are outstanding, making the judging process tough.
“The opportunities provided by our employer partners are staggering, from working on oil rigs and submarines to contributing to the welfare of the most vulnerable in our community, with apprentices contributing to the organisations from the outset.
“The skills gained in the workplace will set the apprentices up for excellent careers in their chosen fields.”
The evening comprised of videos from employers and apprentices describing their work with guest speakers Caroline Noon, apprenticeship manager at the National Trust, and Kathryn Tanner, electrical design apprentice at Cavendish Nuclear delivering speeches about the importance of apprenticeships to organisations and how they are bridging the skills gaps in the UK.
The event was kindly sponsored by Learning Curve, NCFE, Tradebe Inutec, Whittlesea Mortgages, the Colleges Partnership, Notebook Assessment Services, University Centre Somerset, the McMillan Theatre, the Walled Gardens of Cannington, the National College for Nuclear, and the Quantock Restaurant.
Rising Star of the Year went to joint winners Georgia Sellick and Joshua Wilkins. Georgia, who is now undertaking her Level 3 Apprenticeship Chef de Partie, has progressed from pot-washer to being a step away from a fully-fledged Chef de Partie.
The fact that her teammates nicknamed her ‘Hero’ really does say it all. As a part of his job, Joshua recently had to complete his Basic Offshore Survival Induction and Emergency Training.
This was a weeklong practical training covering HSE for North Sea working, Survival Suits, Underwater rebreathers, Firefighting, First Aid, Lifeboats, escape pods, and Helicopter evacuation.
Intermediate Apprentice of the Year went to Mia-Ann Churchley, who has been completing her Level 2 Apprenticeship in Adult Social Care, working at the Rectory nursing home. Mia’s employers have said that “Mia is way beyond her years with her attitude to life in general.”
Advanced Apprentice of the Year went to Chiara Giannetti, who is currently completing her Level 3 Veterinary Apprenticeship.
Chiara’s employer, the Vale Vet Group, has said of her that “despite balancing work, night shifts, and hybrid online delivery during COVID Lockdowns, Chiara has passed all her exams and assignments first time, and achieved distinction grades in most of them.”
The Higher/Degree Apprentice of the Year was awarded to Ryan Sanders, who is completing his Level 4 Apprenticeship in Agricultural Business Management, and in his nomination, his employer said: “On a recent visit I witnessed him confirm a large order with a breeding company, discuss a finance deal on a tractor and negotiate a price for diesel. It was quite overwhelming.”
The Work Experience / Industry Placement Individual of the Year was awarded to Christopher Moore.
His employer, Apuljack Electronics is so impressed by his dedication and his willingness to adapt and learn that they have told him that a full-time job for him is available upon completion of his course.
Small Employer of the Year was awarded to Matravers Engineering, a small family-run business who have now had over 25 apprentices complete their training, with their current apprentices working with local schools to promote engineering.
Medium Employer of the Year was awarded to Ensinger Plastics Ltd, which has been running an apprenticeship programme for over 25 years, investing heavily in training, they pride themselves on their retention of apprentices.
Large Employer of the Year was awarded to the NHS Somerset Foundation Trust, which has not only faced immense pressure in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, but they have also continued to invest and support staff learning, development and wellbeing throughout.
Most recently, they have partnered with the College to launch the first-ever Further Education Trainees Nursing Associate Programme and registered Nursing Degree Apprenticeship.
They have also offered placements to 18 BTC T Level Health (Nursing) students, and in the academic year 20/21 supported 43 individuals into non-nursing Apprenticeships within the Trust.
The Work Experience / Industry Placement Employer of the Year was awarded to Rebecca Anne Designs, a one-woman business that designs bespoke bridal veils.
Rebecca, the owner of the business stated that she remembered the opportunities on her own placement and wanted to be able to emulate that experience for students looking to work in her evolved industry.
The T Level Employer of the Year was awarded to Willmott Dixon, who said of their placements: “We treat our work experience students as if they are a part of the team. We feel it is extremely important that they get a real-life construction experience”.
BTC Champion for Apprenticeships or Industry Placements Employer of the Year was awarded to the Environment Agency.
The Environment Agency currently employs over 150 Water Environment Worker (WEW) Apprentices.
The WEW Apprenticeship has been running in the Environment Agency for just over two years and they have successfully taken on seven cohorts to date.
The college wishes to congratulate all the finalists and winners on their successes.
Bridgwater & Taunton College currently works with over 1,400 employers, from local micro-businesses to global enterprises.
It is also the only UK College to have been awarded a National College and an Institute of Technology, and is well on the way to realising its ambitions to be a world-class provider of Further and Higher Education.
For more information about studying for an Apprenticeship at Bridgwater & Taunton College or if you are looking to recruit an apprentice, visit our website or email business@btc.ac.uk.
Here are more photos from the event.
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