Top performers recognised at 10th annual apprenticeship awards for Oxfordshire

An array of the county’s top apprentices, businesses, education providers and champions of apprenticeships came together this evening (21 May) for this year’s Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards, marking the 10th anniversary of the event.

The spectacular awards – organised by Enterprise Oxfordshire – saw just under 200 people gather at the University of Oxford’s Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities in the city.

Supported by a business-led committee consisting of representatives from a range of sectors, the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards aims to champion work-based learning excellence in the county.

This year saw winners announced across 10 categories, all of which it is hoped will act as a major inspiration to businesses, encouraging them to explore what an apprenticeship programme could bring to their organisations.

The headline sponsor for this year’s awards was Popham Hairdressing, which selected the overall Apprentice of the Year and has itself previously been a business recognised at the awards.

Other awards sponsors included: Abbott Diabetes Care, NielsenIQ, Grundon, M Group Highways, Webexpenses, The Hill Group, The Engineering Trust, Blenheim & Pye Homes, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Progress Accountants.

The awards were hosted by Simon Newton – Joint Managing Director of Darke & Taylor – and Sarah Jaycock, Co-founder and Executive Director of High Spec Composites, both of whom are also members of the awards’ organising committee.

Since the inaugural ceremony in 2017, the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards have gone on to recognise the achievements of hundreds of apprentices and apprenticeship champions.

They have generated over 800 entries, representing around 230 employers and 110 training providers.

Below is a full list of this year’s winners and highly commended finalists:

Intermediate Apprentice of the Year Award

Sponsored by Abbott Diabetes Care

Finalists:

• Lily Fogg, Apprentice Commis Chef – employer: Blenheim Palace; training provider: Activate Learning
• Finlay White, Apprentice Bricklayer – employer: OG Stonemasonry; training provider: Activate Learning

Winner:

• Chelsey Church, Apprentice Furniture Manufacturer – employer: Bill Cleyndert & Company; training provider: Activate Learning

Advanced Apprentice of the Year Award

Sponsored by NielsenIQ

Finalists:

• Becson Ody, Apprentice Receptionist and Administrative Assistant – employer: BioEscalator, University of Oxford; training provider: Abingdon & Witney College
• Hayden Lacey, Electronics Engineering Apprentice – employer: Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC); training provider: Oxfordshire Advanced Skills

Winner:

• Callum Gordon, Group Car Schemes Advisor – employer: Alphabet (GB), BMW Group; training provider: Abingdon & Witney College

Higher Apprentice of the Year Award

Sponsored by Grundon

Finalists:

• Ashton Almey, Chartered Management Degree Apprentice – employer: Oxfordshire County Council; training provider: Henley Business School
• Layla Broughton, Associate Accountant – employer: Assure UK; training provider: First Intuition

Winner:

• Lucy Harold, Trainee Biomedical Scientist – employer: Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; training provider: University of Westminster

Special Recognition Award

Sponsored by M Group Highways

Finalists:

• Tia Curtis-Clarke, Junior Stylist – employer: Kelly’s Hair Oxford; training provider: Introtrain and Forum Ltd
• Adam Hitchman, HR Administrator – employer: Webexpenses; training provider: Abingdon & Witney College

Winner:

• Kelly Liebermann, IT Principal Support Analyst – employer: Oxfordshire County Council; training provider: Ioda

Rising Star Award

Sponsored by Webexpenses

Finalists:

• Kyume Cox, Carpentry & Joinery Apprentice – employer: Silent View Windows / Thame Builders; training provider: ACE Training
• Tom Grant-Edwards, Electrical Apprentice – employer: Meica Technical Services; training provider: Abingdon & Witney College

Winner:

• Louise Nicolson, Data Protection and Information Governance Apprentice – employer: University of Oxford; training provider: Damar Training

Shining Star Award

Sponsored by The Hill Group

Finalists:

• Owen Batts, Customer Relations Specialist – employer: Valda Energy
• Isobel Cheshire, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner and Work-Based Tutor – employer: Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

Winner:

• Dominique Southwick, Finance and HR Manager – employer: Darcica Logistics

Skills Champion Award

Sponsored by The Engineering Trust

Finalists:

• Will Gibbs, Construction Skills Project Lead – employer: Abingdon & Witney College
• Gemma Scrivener, Marketing Communications Manager – employer: ACE Training

Winner:

• Shilpa Bhatt, Apprenticeships & Widening Participation Lead – employer: Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust & BOB ICS

Training Provider Individual Award

Sponsored by Blenheim & Pye Homes

Finalists:

• Helen Day, Apprenticeship Training Coordinator, Abingdon & Witney College
• Jason Roberts, Electrical Tutor, JTL Training

Winner:

• Ian Jones, Learning and Development Lead for Nursing Associate Development, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

Apprenticeship Employer of the Year (less than 250 employees) Award

Sponsored by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

Finalists:

• Darcica Logistics
• Valda Energy

Winner:

• Live Wire Event Solutions

Apprenticeship Employer of the Year (more than 250 employees) Award

Sponsored by Progress Accountants

Finalists:

• Oxfordshire County Council
• Ridge and Partners LLP

Winner:

• Atlassian Williams F1 Team

Overall Apprentice of the Year Award

Sponsored by Popham Hairdressing

Winner:

• Lucy Harold, Trainee Biomedical Scientist – employer: Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; training provider: University of Westminster

Helen Brind – Director of Business and Skills at Enterprise Oxfordshire – said: “Over the last 10 years, we have recognised hundreds of the county’s apprentices and apprenticeship champions, and we are delighted to welcome even more individuals and businesses to that list following this year’s awards.

“At Enterprise Oxfordshire, we remain as committed to recognising apprenticeship talent as we were when the awards were first launched 10 years ago.

“We will continue to support our business community to unlock vital opportunities to utilise these, such as through initiatives relating to the new Growth and Skills Levy.”

This year’s awards ceremony follows the recent announcement of major changes to the national skills funding system, with the Apprenticeship Levy being replaced by a new Growth and Skills Levy, broadening how funds can be used.

Introduced in 2017, the Apprenticeship Levy required qualifying large employers to contribute 0.5% of their annual payroll (over £3 million) into a levy fund that could only be spent on approved apprenticeships.

Alongside apprenticeships, levy funding can now be allocated to shorter and more flexible training opportunities – known as apprenticeship units – enabling businesses to upskill staff in priority areas such as digital, engineering and green technologies.

Enterprise Oxfordshire is set to deliver a comprehensive service for the county’s businesses, including unlocking funds and overseeing levy transfers, building on the success of its ‘Apprenticeship Levy Support Scheme’.

Between the launch of the Apprenticeship Levy and March 2026, Enterprise Oxfordshire delivered the following outcomes associated with levy spend and pledges:

• £6.6 million in levy funding utilised through Enterprise Oxfordshire activity – investment that would otherwise have been lost to the county and returned to the Treasury.
• 551 apprenticeship and learner starts achieved across Oxfordshire businesses in a wide range of sectors.
• 276 employers supported by Enterprise Oxfordshire to understand and access the levy.

Enterprise Oxfordshire became the trading name of OxLEP in April last year, marking the completion of a two-year transition that saw local economic development functions move under arrangements agreed by Oxfordshire County Council.

The Council now acts as Enterprise Oxfordshire’s sole shareholder under a Teckal company arrangement.

For more information and details on the award winners and finalists, search for #OAAwards2026 across social media.