Apprentices and their employers came together for a night of celebration recognising their accomplishments.

Now in its 15th year, the National Apprenticeship Awards was held on held on Wednesday night. It is run by the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s National Apprenticeship Service, which supports the delivery of apprenticeships in England.

At this year’s ceremony a special recognition award, presented for the first time, was given to the combined armed forces - the RAF, the Royal Navy and the Army - for its commitment to apprenticeships.

We’re busy adding the final touches to tonight’s Apprenticeship Awards! 🎉 Join in the conversation via the hashtag #AppAwards18 pic.twitter.com/5R9JsJVFo6

— Apprenticeships (@Apprenticeships) November 28, 2018

‘Incredible efforts’

Education secretary Damian Hinds said apprenticeships were an excellent way for anyone to gain new skills and forge a career in anything from aerospace engineering to nursing.

He added: “The National Apprenticeship Awards is a fantastic event to celebrate the achievements of apprentices, employers and training providers, and I want to wish all the winners and nominees congratulations on their incredible efforts.”

Apprenticeships and skills minister Anne Milton congratulated the winners, adding: “Their passion for what they do, their determination to get things done and their drive to get on is so impressive. The winners tonight will have stepped out of their comfort zone to learn new skills and many will have changed the direction of their life. Congratulations to them all and they should be very proud of all they have achieved.”

Earlier this month, Ms Milton told Tes that the government’s commitment to creating 3 million apprenticeships in the current Parliament has not been abandoned.

Best of luck to the finalists of the #AppAwards18 🍀 To get this far is a marker of how brilliant you all are and we look forward to announcing the winners and highly commended in each category later this evening 👏 pic.twitter.com/TW8FRkaSWM

— Apprenticeships (@Apprenticeships) November 28, 2018

The apprentice winners

• The Lloyds Banking Group Award for the Rising Star: Joe Buck, Mitchells & Butlers
  Highly commended: Jenny Jones, HM Revenue and Customs, and Aleksandra Burzec, Home Group
• The British Army Award for Intermediate Apprentice of the Year: Muhammad Uddin, Yorkshire Housing
  Highly commended: Amelia Wayne, Futures Housing Group, and Bethany Geddes, The Automobile Association
• The Rolls-Royce Award for Advanced Apprentice of the Year: Daniel Millington, HydraForce Hydraulics Ltd
  Highly commended: Muhammad Khan, BT and Lucas Benson, BAE Systems Ltd
• The Nuclear Decommissioning Site Licence Companies Award for Higher or Degree Apprentice of the Year: Jordan Coulton, Weightmans LLP
  Highly commended: Joe Powell, HM Revenue & Customs, and Michelle Blackwell, Bevan Brittan LLP
• Royal Air Force Award for Apprenticeship Champion of the Year: Natalie White, National Nuclear Laboratory
  Highly commended: David Thompson, NETA Training Group and Susan Gough, Lloyds Banking Group

The employer winners

• The PeoplePlus Award for Recruitment Excellence (selected from the Employer of the Year Award entries) BAE Systems plc
  Highly commended: KMF Precision Sheet Metal Limited, Lloyds Banking Group
• The BAE Systems Award for SME Employer of the Year (for organisations with up to to 249 employees): Troup Bywaters + Anders
  Highly commended: Invotra, GoSkydive
• The Royal Navy Award for Large Employer of the Year (for organisations with 250 to 4,999 employees): KMF Precision Sheet Metal Limited
  Highly commended: United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, WEC Group Limited
• The Centrica Award for Macro Employer of the Year (for organisations with 5,000-plus employees): BAE Systems plc
  Highly commended: Engie, Lookers plc