The Rotherham Apprentice of the Year Awards are back!

Rotherham Apprentice of the Year Award winners are pictured with judges and the Mayor of Rotherham Cllr Tajamal Khan. From left to right are: Advanced winner Emily Allen of AESSEAL, Joseph Harvey of Equans and Georgia Bingham of Ex-Animo Foods.

ARE you Rotherham’s best apprentice or do you employ him or her?

If so, we want to hear from you.

We would love to receive your nomination for our Rotherham Apprentice of the Year 2023 competition, in partnership with the Rotherham Investment and Development Office (RIDO) and the Business Growth Board.

The competition is being backed by our sponsors Aesseal, Mears, RDASH, Equans, GXO, and MTL.

For the winners of the contest, there is a prize and the prestige of being a victor on offer.

An awards ceremony will be held later in the year at the New York Stadium in Rotherham.

We want as many companies or individuals to nominate themselves or an employee for the awards.

Once the entries are in, an independent judging panel will select the winners of the Intermediate, Advanced, Higher or Degree Level Apprentice of the Year awards.

Advertiser editor Andrew Mosley said: “This is the eighth year we have held these awards and one of the main aims is to change the traditional view of apprenticeships and throw the spotlight on some true superstars of the future.

“When I was at school we were never told about apprenticeships and I’m not sure how much schools push that option now. We need to highlight apprenticeships as a genuine alternative to traditional further education which can land you with enormous debts and potentially no job, while in completing an apprenticeship you earn while you learn. What’s not to like about that?

“When a business takes on an apprentice it not only benefits itself and the future of the person it has chosen to work with, but the future of Rotherham as a whole.

“Companies need skilled young people and the apprentices who have entered our competition over the years and, of course, the many that didn’t have proved that Rotherham can provide them.

“By investing in apprenticeships we are putting our trust in young people, who will improve our businesses, our town or wherever in the world they end up working by using the knowledge and experience they have gained.

“There are some exciting opportunities available with forward-looking companies in Rotherham and we hope that this year’s competition will once again shine a light on these.”

The deadline for entries is June 23, with finalists being interviewed by our independent judging panel in early August. Full details can be found and entries submitted via the link on the www.rotherhamadvertiser.co.uk website, or you can contact Kim Ollivent on 07410 900578 to get a blank nomination form.

We are also looking for partners (education and training providers and employers) to promote this initiative.

For potential sponsorship partners, this year offers more weeks of promotion for their company. Benefits include association with a high-profile award, improved brand awareness in the apprentice market, the opportunity to be part of a positive initiative for young people and businesses in Rotherham, and the chance to use the awards logo on your own promotional material.

If you would like to become a sponsorship partner, find out more about the benefits, contact Kim Ollivent on 07410 900578.

Download the Word document for nominations here