Vision Business – the college’s employer engagement arm – is a finalist in the Apprenticeships4England Awards 2017, which celebrate outstanding achievement, best practice and excellence in apprentice-delivery.
It is one of five colleges to be shortlisted in the ‘large apprenticeship provision’ category at the glittering awards, to be held on the evening of Tuesday 7 March at the Grange Tower Hotel, Tower Bridge, London. Other colleges competing for the title are Burnley, Bury, South Gloucestershire and Stroud, and Walsall.
Staged by national organisation Apprenticeships4England, the fourth annual awards form part of its Celebration of Apprenticeships Gala Dinner and will be hosted by former professional footballer Paul Elliot CBE, with Lord Patel of Bradford giving the welcome address.
The awards honour training providers and employers that have excelled in the development of apprenticeship programmes, in particular those that have demonstrated enterprise, innovation and creativity, and shown commitment to improving skills and training.
West Nottinghamshire College is one of the largest apprenticeship training-providers in the country, with 13,000 apprentices working across a range of industries, from construction, engineering and retail, to hospitality, catering, and health and social care.
Lesley Roberts, vice-principal for employer engagement and business development, said: “I’m thrilled the college has been shortlisted for such a prestigious accolade, which is testament to the hard work of staff across the organisation and within our network of partner training providers.
“We take great pride in the quality of our training to apprentices across a wide range of industries, which creates fantastic career opportunities for the individuals and the highly-skilled workforce their employers need.
“This type of recognition only serves to strengthen our commitment to the national apprenticeship agenda.”
Lindsay McCurdy, chief executive of Apprenticeships4England, said: “The depth and quality of submissions continues to rise and I'd like to offer my congratulations to all the finalists. Each year, we are blown away by the standard of entries, which consistently demonstrate a remarkable level of quality and excellence amongst all the organisations who apply.
“Whatever happens on the night, each organisation deserves recognition for committing to, and delivering on, quality apprenticeships.”
It comes just months after the college’s principal and chief executive Dame Asha Khemka won the Overall Commitment to Apprenticeships accolade at the inaugural Asian Apprenticeship Awards last November.