Now in their 14th year, Damar Training’s annual apprenticeship awards are a celebration of the achievements of apprentices, their employers and line managers. The results, released during National Apprenticeship Week, show once again the difference that apprenticeships are making to individuals and organisations and also the commitment shown by employers and managers.
This year’s awards attracted a record number of entries from across more than 500 employers and 2,000 apprentices that Damar has worked with over the past year. The breadth of sectors and apprenticeships represented across the winners is also wider than ever. Employers include Greater Manchester Police and the NHS as well as travel company Dawson & Sanderson and several legal services providers. This year, for the first time, most of the successful apprentices are studying towards new apprenticeship standards in areas including management, paralegal, travel consultancy and Chartered Legal Executive.
The winners are:
Apprentice of the Year and Intermediate Apprentice of the Year: Bailey McCrory, Greater Manchester Police Employer of the Year: JB Leitch Solicitors Newcomer Employer of the Year: Dawson & Sanderson Higher Apprentice of the Year: Jordan Coulton, Weightmans Advanced Apprentice of the Year: Aneela Aslam, Government Legal Department The Mark Aspinall Award (awarded to an apprentice who has overcome challenges): Danuta Olinici, Pennine Acute NHS Trust Apprentice Supervisor of the Year – Adele Hill, The Menston and Guiseley Practice
Bailey McCrory, Greater Manchester Police, this year’s Apprentice of the Year and Intermediate Apprentice of the Year.
Jonathan Bourne, Damar’s Managing Director, commented: “Damar’s annual awards are at the very heart of what we do as a business. Our goal is to help apprentices and the organisations that they work for to be as successful as possible and all of the winning nominations tell stories of apprentices learning, taking on responsibility and making a difference to their employers and communities. They show also employers investing, alongside the government in delivering high value apprenticeship programmes and seeing the return on that investment. My thanks also to my dedicated colleagues at Damar who go the extra mile, day in day out, in order to make a positive difference.”
Adele Hill, Assistant Practice Manager, Menston & Guiseley Practice, commented: “What a privilege to win this award; being able to support Rosie and see her grow in confidence and develop within her role has been an absolute pleasure. I would not hesitate in recommending Apprenticeship schemes as our experience shows they are a fantastic opportunity for both the individual and the employer.”
Julie Cloe, General Manager IT & Training, Dawson & Sanderson said: “Investment in apprentices is an integral part of our business and we are delighted to have received the award for Newcomer Employer of the Year. It reflects the efforts we have made as an employer to attract and retain apprentices, who have gone on to become fully fledged travel consultants.”
Andy Hull, Operations Director of JB Leitch expressed his pride in winning employer of the year: “We’re delighted to be named Employer of the Year in this year’s awards. Our apprenticeship journey with Damar began in 2014 and has been a true success story both for us as a business and for our apprentices in developing their careers in all areas of the firm. We will continue to build upon this success and look forward to a long partnership with Damar Training.”
Sincere thanks to the panel of judges who kindly gave up their time to assess the nominations: Ann Aspinall, David McIntosh (Keoghs), Georgia Buckley (Stockport Council), Helen Pilling (Plexus Law), and Kaymo Jammeh (Tameside NHS).
This article was submitted to be published by Damar Training as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Conveyancer. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of Today’s Conveyancer.
