Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Awards 2020 finalists announced
Date published:
The Department for the Economy has announced the three finalists for each of the Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Award 2020 award categories including the Apprentice Award, Higher Level Apprentice Award, Large Employer Innovation Award and SME Innovation Award.
Welcoming the announcement Mike Brennan, Permanent Secretary, Department for the Economy said, “The Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Awards competition continues to demonstrate how apprenticeships are changing the lives of businesses and apprentices. As the excitement builds for the announcement of the winners at the Apprenticeship Awards Ceremony during the first ever Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Week I would like to wish good luck to all the finalists.”
Jim Wilkinson, Director of Apprenticeships, Careers and Vocational Education Division and NIAA 2020 judge added: "The number and quality of nominations received for the Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Awards competition this year has made it exceptionally difficult to decide on the finalists. I would like to thank everyone who submitted a nomination which has demonstrated the difference our apprenticeship programmes are making to apprentices career progression and the benefits gained by employers in a wide range of sectors as well as the effective delivery and support provided by the training providers.”
The finalists for each award category have been announced as:
Apprentice Award 2020 finalists
Name | Employer | Training Provider |
Craig Holmes | A S Watson (Savers) | Babcock Training Ltd |
Hannah Sproule | Citi | Belfast Metropolitan College |
Sheraz Nawaz | Donnelly Group | Workforce Training Services |
Higher Level Apprentice Award 2020 finalists
Name | Employer | Training Provider |
Victoria Porter | PwC | Queen’s University Belfast |
Will Bradley | BT | Belfast Metropolitan College |
Coleen O’Boyle | Mallaghan Engineering | South West College |
Large Employer Innovation Award 2020 finalists
Employer | Training Provider |
PwC | Queen’s University Belfast |
Citi | Belfast Metropolitan College |
Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology | South West College |
SME Innovation Award 2020 finalists
Employer | Training Provider |
Titanic Hotel Belfast | Babcock Training Ltd |
Phoenix Energy Services Ltd | South Eastern Regional College |
Specialist Joinery Fittings Ltd | Strabane Training Services |
The winners in each category will be announced at the Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Awards Ceremony which will be attended by all finalists along with Sarah Travers and Tommy Bowe who will be special guests. The Awards ceremony will take place on Thursday 6 February 2020 in the Titanic Hotel, Belfast. The event will take place during the inaugural Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Week 2020 which will run from 3 to 7 February 2020 and include a range of events and promotion activity across Northern Ireland to showcase how apprenticeships work for individuals, businesses, communities and the wider economy.
Notes to editors:
- Full details of the awards are available at NI Apprenticeship Awards 2020 page
- For media enquiries contact the Department for the Economy Press Office on 028 90529604. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 028 90378110 and your call will be returned.
- Follow us on Twitter @Economy_NI or by using the hashtag #apprenticeawards2020