APPRENTICES and employers across Herefordshire and Worcestershire are celebrating following the regional West Midlands ceremony of the National Apprenticeship Awards 2014.

The winners and highly commended entries were announced at the prestigious awards ceremony, which was held on September 16 at the Mitchells and Butler Training Headquarters in Birmingham.

The awards, now in their eleventh year, are run by the National Apprenticeship Service and recognise excellence in two areas: businesses that grow their own talent with apprentices and apprentices who have made a significant contribution to their workplaces.

Lee Snead from Hereford, Evangelene Brookes from Kidderminster and Blue Moon Creative Ltd in Pershore all took home awards on the night.

28-year-old Lee, a former apprentice and now head of client services at Allpay Ltd in Hereford, was presented with the West Midlands City & Guilds Apprenticeship Champion of the Year award.

On collecting his award he said: “Twelve years ago I decided that an IT Apprenticeship at Allpay would be a great opportunity to start a career while continuing to learn and develop new skills. Now I’m responsible for the strategic planning of all service delivery and support teams and I believe my time as an apprentice gave me the foundations I needed to achieve this. I continue to mentor many of the company’s apprentices and actively look to give others the same opportunities I was fortunate enough to have myself.”

All the West Midlands winners will proceed through to a final national judging stage, and the Apprenticeship employer entries judged to be the very best of the best will have the additional honour of featuring in the acclaimed Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list, which will be produced by the National Apprenticeship Service in partnership with City & Guilds.

The Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers and the national award winners will be revealed during the national ceremony at the LG Arena in Birmingham on the November 13.

Skills Minister Nick Boles said: “Apprenticeships continue to grow in popularity, and events like the National Apprenticeship Awards showcase how beneficial they are to both employers and individuals. It is fast becoming the norm for young people to choose between an Apprenticeship or university as a route to a great career.

“I was delighted to launch the “Get In, Go Far” campaign recently which highlights the huge range available across England. There really has never been a better time to become an apprentice.

“I congratulate all of those who have received an Apprenticeship Award. We all want to make our parents proud as we grow up. The Apprenticeship Award winners will have done just that.”

Karen Riley, deputy director employer and delivery services at the Central, Skills Funding Agency, added: “The National Apprenticeship Awards are an excellent platform to recognise and celebrate the dedication shown by all our excellent Apprenticeship employers and apprentices.

“Apprenticeships continue to grow in popularity, and events like the National Apprenticeship Awards showcase just how beneficial they are for both employers and individuals. I hope everyone who received an award on the night is proud of their achievements, and continues to fly the flag for apprenticeships throughout their career.”

Visit apprenticeships.org.uk or call 08000 150 600 to find out more about Apprenticeships.