We’re so excited to announce the Kaplan Apprenticeship Awards 2024 - the second year of our awards, and we’re overwhelmed by the amount of talent we’ve seen this year.
The aim of the awards is to celebrate and recognise the success and achievements of apprentices and line managers across our accountancy and tax, banking and financial services, and data and technology programmes.
We know that working towards your career aspirations can be challenging and difficult at times, so we want to give you the opportunity to celebrate your incredible achievements, while your employers can also show their appreciation and acknowledgement of all your hard work.
The nominations close on 16 August 2024 so get them in quickly via our nominations form.
Where will the awards be held?
Attendees will be acknowledging their successes at Shangri-La The Shard in London where they will enjoy a relaxed afternoon tea and celebratory drinks.
When will the awards be?
The awards ceremony will take place on 16th December 2024.
What are the categories?
We have 10 categories. This is to ensure that all of the nominators will find a suitable category for their nominees and all of our apprentices have an equal chance of being recognised by Kaplan at our first ever award ceremony.
We also have ensured that all nominees have an equal chance to be nominated whether they are training in accounting and tax, banking and financial services, or data and technology.
The award categories are:
Accountancy and Tax
The Accountancy and Tax award is awarded to apprentices for using technical knowledge, skills, and experience to guide businesses and people in making ethical and sustainable financial decisions.
Banking and Financial Services
The Banking and Financial Services award is awarded to apprentices who have developed into proficient banking and financial services professionals, applying technical expertise and what they have learned to their current role.
Data and Technology
The Data and Technology award is for apprentices in data and technology who work efficiently to improve judgements, find new sources of income, and implement tech-enabled business change initiatives.
Apprenticeship Advocate Award
The Apprenticeship Advocate Award is awarded to apprentices who have had a positive impact on their community through their advocacy work. The winner of this award must have positively impacted organisations or apprentices.
Personal Development Award
The Personal Development Award is for an apprentice who has put in a lot of effort to become the best version of themselves, and is constantly seeking ways to do so.
Mentoring and Support Award
The Mentoring and Support Award is awarded to an apprentice who has distinguished themselves as a mentor by helping others achieve their professional goals by providing moral, social, and intellectual support.
Resilience Award
The Resilience Award will be awarded to an apprentice who has excelled both professionally and personally while overcoming difficult challenges throughout their apprenticeship, refusing to give up.
Citizenship Award
The Citizenship Award will be awarded to an apprentice contributing to the communities that they live in, making our society and community a special place to live.
Line Manager Award
And it’s not all just about the apprentices. The Line Manager Award will be awarded to a line manager and the company that they work for, for continuously supporting their apprentice and ensuring their success.
Kaplan Employee of the Year
A new category for 2024 - this is for tutors and talent coaches. Apprentices can nominate someone from Kaplan that has gone above and beyond to help them through their apprenticeship.
How do I nominate?
Anyone can nominate and you can nominate as many people as you’d like to through the online nomination form. All you need to do is fill in your details, your nominee’s details, and reasons why you believe that they should win an apprenticeship award. To boost the potential of your nominees' success, try to include as many details as possible.
When do the nominations close?
Nominations are open now, until 16 August 2024
Who are the judges?
We have a panel of five judges waiting to read your nominations.
The 2024 apprenticeship awards judges are:
Elizabeth Hess, Director of Communications, Kaplan
Elizabeth is Director of Communications for Kaplan’s UK based businesses. Previously, she has worked in public relations and public affairs in the Netherlands and the USA in the telecom and satellite communications sector.
Elizabeth is also a trustee for the North East Derbyshire Support Centre and the Helena Kennedy Foundation. She holds a BA degree from UCLA and an MA from McGill University.
Jenny Pelling, Director of Apprenticeship Development and Diversity, Kaplan
Jenny Pelling is the Director of Apprenticeship Development and Diversity at Kaplan Financial. She holds key roles within Kaplan Financial, contributing as a member of both the Apprenticeship Leadership Team and the EDI Steering Group, and being the strategic lead for apprentices' careers and wider personal development. Jenny's commitment to expanding access to apprenticeships and professional opportunities is evident through her active involvement as a patron and judge for esteemed organisations such as the Multicultural Apprenticeship Alliance and Awards, RISE (which provides skills insights to schools), and the social mobility charity Career Ready. Additionally, Jenny is an advisory partner for the Association of Apprentices and is a governor of Kaplan Pathways.
Jagdeep Soor, Executive Director, Pathway Group
Jagdeep has over 25 years’ experience in the employment support and skills sectors, working on the majority of mainstream back to work programmes, both in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He is a strategist with extensive senior operational experience.
Currently, Jagdeep is the Head of Strategic Partnerships for the Multicultural Apprenticeship Alliance and The Apprenticeship Diversity and Social Mobility Forum. The aim of these two initiatives is to promote social mobility, diversity, inclusion, and equity in apprenticeships and employability. Jagdeep is a Fellow of the Institute of Employability Professionals, and has a passion for equality, diversity, inclusion, and equity, to support those that are most at risk of missing out on opportunity.
Derek Cockfield, Head of Corporate Partnerships, WorldSkills UK
Derek is an experienced fundraising manager, having worked in the charity sector for over 15 years. He is responsible for identifying and delivering strategic partnerships which help to drive increased representation and engagement with underrepresented groups at WorldSkills UK. He oversees delivery of their equity, diversity, and inclusion programmes.
David Barker, Chief Technology Officer, Association of Apprentices
David started his career as an apprentice in an education technology company at sixteen years old. Seven years after successfully moving into full-time employment from his apprenticeship, David became one of the UK’s first digital marketing entrepreneurs in the early 1990’s, scaling an agency working with global brands such as Intel, Microsoft, and Unilever.
Today, David works on the Executive Team of the Association of Apprentices, leading on the technology innovations and partnerships that are helping UK apprentices receive additional support during their apprenticeship. As a past apprentice himself, David is passionate about ensuring all apprentices have everything they need to move beyond their apprenticeship into successful careers.
Nominate your winners now!
Visit our nominations page and get yours in now. Don’t forget, nominations close on 16 August 2024.
What do some of our previous awards winners think about the awards?
“I wasn’t expecting it at all. The first I knew about it was when I received the email to say that I’d won. I was so shocked at first, and I sent it through to the person who nominated me. I think it’s nice that I’ve been recognised, but I also like how Jet2 has been recognised for the work that they put into apprenticeships. So, I was really happy and surprised about it.”
Charlotte Murgatroyd, Citizenship Award winner, Kaplan Apprenticeship Awards 2023.
“I won the Advocacy Award and I felt quite grateful to win in that category because I’ve met a lot of really inspiring apprentices who are advocating a lot and going into schools to talk about apprenticeships. I think I advocate for apprenticeships anyway, without realising, because it’s not about an award, you just do it because you care and you want people to look into apprenticeships. So it was really nice to be recognised for that.”
Holly-Mae Darling, Apprenticeship Advocacy award winner, Kaplan Apprenticeship Awards 2023