The three finalists for each of the NI Apprenticeship Awards (NIAA) 2020 award categories have been announced by the Department for the Economy.
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 6th February 2020 in the Titanic Hotel, Belfast.
The event will take place during the inaugural Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Week 2020 which will run from 3-7 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.
The categories are the Apprentice Award, Higher Level Apprentice Award, Large Employer Innovation Award and SME Innovation Award.
The finalists for each award category are:
Name: Craig Holmes, Employer: A S Watson, Training Provider: Babcock Training Ltd
Name: Hannah Sproule, Employer: Citi, Training Provider: Belfast Metropolitan College
Name: Sheraz Nawaz, Employer: Donnelly Group, Training Provider: Workforce Training Services
Name: Victoria Porter, Employer: PwC, Training Provider: Queen’s University Belfast
Name: Will Bradley, Employer: BT, Training Provider: Belfast Metropolitan College
Name: Coleen O’Boyle, Employer: Mallaghan Engineering, Training Provider: South West College
Employer: PwC, Training Provider: Queen’s University Belfast
Employer: Citi, Training Provider: Belfast Metropolitan College
Employer: Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology, Training Provider: South West College
Employer: Titanic Hotel Belfast, Training Provider: Babcock Training Ltd
Employer: Phoenix Energy Services Ltd, Training Provider: Southern Eastern Regional College
Employer Specialist: Joinery Fittings Ltd, Training Provider: Strabane Training Services
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.”
