Celebrating Apprenticeships in Oxfordshire

It might not have been the live event planned for March of this year, however the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards didn't fail to celebrate the achievements of apprenticeships across Oxfordshire in style....

 The Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards were introduced in 2017 to celebrate the achievements of our county’s apprentices and recognise the contribution they make to Oxfordshire’s economy and skills landscape.  

Our General Manager, Hannah along with our Operations Director, Louise and lead Tutor, Leigh attended the virtual event, hosted by OXLEP, from their homes on the evening of October 1st and absorbed the virtual community atmosphere!  

We were excited to have been nominated in the 'Apprentice Employer of the Year' (< 50 employees)  voted for alongside Oxfordshire firms, Computer Assistance and Olamalu, two very strong entries with inspiring stories as to how they engage and develop their apprentice teams.  

The event was highly enjoyable and OXLEP did an amazing job of making the content enjoyable and engaging whilst via video link.  Celebrations as the award winners were announced for each category were shared on social media creating cheers from homes across the county!

The suspense was building for us all as our category was announced.....kind words on each nominee were shared by sponsors, The Burnside Partnership and the winner was announced.......WE WON! Mega cheer from our teams via WhatsApp messages and calls and a BIG thank you and well done message was sent to our entire team and our amazing Apprentices to thank and congratulate them all!  

Hannah, who as part of her role as General Manager, oversees recruitment, mentors and manages our Apprentices...and clearly does a fantastic job!, was interviewed by Mel from OXLEP the following day and had this to say

 "We are extremely proud to win the 2020 employer award; it validates our approach and reaffirms our commitment to giving young people the best possible chance in life.Our recruitment policy is clear; we seek friendly, energetic, and passionate people that love sport! We work hard to ensure every Apprentice’s journey is bespoke to them, and accurately matches their learning preference.   This award reflects the hard work put in by all at Ignite Sport UK; every staff member understands their role in supporting junior colleagues and helping them achieve their potential"

We thank OXLEP and Oxfordshire Apprentices for our award and for their hard work in ensuring the event went ahead in 2020.  Well done to all nominees and winners!