This year we will be hosting our first ever Kaplan apprenticeship awards. The aim 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.
Here is everything that you need to know so far.
Where will the awards be held?
Attendees will be acknowledging their successes at 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 12th December 2023.
What are the categories?
We have 11 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.
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 22 September 2023
Who are the judges?
We have a panel of five judges waiting to read your nominations.
The 2023 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 is the Director of Apprenticeship Development and Diversity at Kaplan. She is a member of the Apprenticeship Leadership Team at Kaplan Financial and a Governor of Kaplan Pathways. She leads on the Brighter Futures initiative, and is dedicated to broadening access to apprenticeships and the professions through her work. Jenny is a patron and judge for the Multicultural Apprenticeship Alliance and Awards, RISE, which provides skills insights to schools and the social mobility charity, Career Ready.
Jenny also represents Kaplan as an organising partner of the World Skills Accounting and Tax competition. Before Kaplan, Jenny was the Director of Business and Apprenticeships at CILEx Law School.
Jagdeep Soor, Head of Strategic Partnerships, 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 and Head Of Partnerships, 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.
Nominations are now closed