Apprentice of the Year Awards

Resilience Award:

This award recognises individuals who have been making incredible achievements in their apprenticeship, employment, and personal lives, despite challenges that this past year might have brought.

Shortlisted: Aimee Feltham – University Hospital Southampton Trust. Kelly Whiting – Great Ormond Street Hospital

Runner Up: Ashanti Monica Carter – Grant Thornton UK LLP: It was a humbling experience to be shortlisted for this award, on the back end of a very challenging last year or so. I am honoured to have be considered amongst such inspiring individuals! 

1^st Place Winner: Millie Beardsley – Minster Law

It feels amazing to be awarded BPP Apprentice of the Year for Resilience. It’s a representation of all my hard work and dedication over the last decade, in both my personal and academic life. I’m excited to qualify in 2025 and continue my legal journey as a Catastrophic Injury Solicitor helping those who need it most! 

Sustainability Award:

This award is for individuals who have shown initiatives within the workplace and in their own lives to consider environmental, social and ethical sustainability, raising awareness of the importance of sustainability within their sector.

Shortlisted: Emily Rowley – KPMG

Runner Up: Alisha Hellard-Smith – Mitie. Not only showing incredible resilience in her apprenticeship, Alisha has also shown exceptional commitment to integrating sustainability within her company.

1^st Place Winner: Dominic Plummer – NatWest

Dominic has been described as devising an education and change campaign to bring cultural, structural and behaviour change for sustainability within his company, described as ‘game changing’.

Inclusion and Diversity Champion:

This award is to highlight those who have made outstanding contributions to the promotion of inclusion and diversity both in and out of their workplace.
Shortlisted: Dhimple Patel – Great Ormond Street Hospital

Runner Up: Dan Gumbrell – Hastings Direct

Winning second place in the diversity and inclusion award at BPP feels incredibly rewarding. After putting in so much effort and dedication into my CIPD studies over the past year, being recognized like this is very empowering. As someone who is registered blind  I feel fortunate to have been given the opportunity from BPP and my workplace, I’ve been able to contribute to some amazing Diversity and inclusion projects and drive meaningful change in the industry.

1^st Place Winners:

Alisha Hellard-Smith – Mitie: I was truly honoured and pleasantly surprised to receive the Inclusion and Diversity Champion Award at the BPP Apprentice of the Year Awards 2024. It means a lot to me, especially considering the amazing nominees I was up against. Inclusion and diversity have always been important values for me, so it's truly heartwarming to be recognised for my efforts in this area. I feel fortunate to work for a company that shares the same beliefs and supports my commitment to making a positive impact on the world. I want to extend a big congratulations to my fellow award recipient, Bamishe, and a special mention to all the incredible individuals who were nominated and acknowledged during the ceremony. I truly believe that great things lie ahead for each of you! Let's continue to work together to create a more inclusive and welcoming world for everyone, one small act at a time. Thank you for all your support and let's keep making a difference!

Bamishe Alao – Willis Towers Watson: I'm so grateful to have been recognised for my DEI work. Throughout my apprenticeship programme I have worked with social mobility charities, and market-wide associations to attract diverse talent into the insurance sector. I will continue to be a champion for diversity and inclusion within the workplace throughout my career, I really want to help maintain a strong pipeline of young talent into insurance. I’m so grateful to work in an industry that is doing such incredible work to attract young candidates from diverse backgrounds. I hope to continue to this work both internally and externally with market associations such as BIBA.

Suzanne Finch Apprentice Champion Award:

This award is dedicated to one of our wonderful coaches, Suzanne Finch, who sadly passed away in 2021. Suzanne advocated for the power of Apprenticeships (and Education) and was a true patron in helping others succeed. This annual award continues to recognise those who champion Apprenticeships in the way Suzanne always did.  

Shortlisted: Dhimple Patel – Great Ormond Street Hospital. Freya McMurray – Withers LLP. Jordan Lewis – Harrisons Solicitors LLP. Rebecca Humphreys – NatWest

Runner Up: Jessica Duff – Newcastle Building Society

Jessica has been passionate about championing apprenticeship both in and out of her workplace, advocating for apprenticeship as a valuable pathway for personal and professional growth.

1^st Place Winner: Charity Lockie – Weightmans LLP: I am honoured to have been recognised as Apprentice Champion of the Year; an award that is made even more fulfilling as it bears and continues the name of a special and esteemed apprenticeship advocate. I am thankful to BPP and my employer Weightmans for providing support to me as an apprentice at the firm and in carrying out my ambassador roles. I take great pride in my efforts to promote the power of apprenticeships to both prospective applicants and employers because of the multifaceted impact they have on your career and in a business, and this award incentivises me even further to keep on championing apprenticeships whenever and wherever I can. 

Apprentice of the Year:

This award aims to celebrate those who have made outstanding achievements and developed skills for life both in their workplace, and in their apprenticeship in the past year.

Those shortlisted are:

Level 2-3:

Shortlisted: Marcella Dale – DWF

Runner Up: Jade Liggitt – National Highways Limited

I feel overjoyed that I am a runner up for the Apprentice of the Year Award (Level 2-3). Being the first Paralegal Apprentice in my organisation, I am proud to represent them and evidence my success. I am incredibly passionate about apprenticeships, particularly as a route into a Legal career. I have gained so much from my apprenticeship, I have built a strong network and acquired skills for life. I am excited to continue my journey as a Legal Apprentice!

1^st Place Winner: Sumbal Arshad – Blick Rothenberg: I feel honoured to have been shortlisted and chosen for the BPP Apprentice of the Year award 2024. It has been an insightful journey being an apprentice as I got to learn on the job whilst studying for my qualification along with it. I have met a lot of influential people on this journey and they have all played a vital role in building my confidence and helping me through my career path. I would also like to congratulate all those that were shortlisted and chosen for the 2024 awards and I wish you all the very best for your future accomplishments. For any current apprentices reading this, remember to believe in yourself and give your very best in everything that you do. There may be some days that are challenging than the others but remember to keep going as it’s all part of a journey to success. The only road to failure is giving up, so don’t take that route! Keep working hard until you can see a clear path to the destination you want to reach.

Level 4-5:

Shortlisted: Enya-Marie Clay – Open University. Joshua Cookson – KPMG.

Runner Up: Amy Dowsing – KPMG: I’m absolutely buzzing to be the runner up for the level 4-5 apprentice of the year awards, it’s definitely not something I was expecting! Congratulations are in order to everyone who was nominated, those who were shortlisted and of course the winner, a special congrats to Joshua Cookson, an apprentice in my cohort who was also shortlisted from KPMG. I am a massive advocate for apprenticeships and try to do as much as possible to promote them to students, I have been involved in great projects one of which has involved talking with English teachers in the local area about how they can adapt the English curriculum to ensure their students are well equipped for the world of work. I really appreciate being nominated and shortlisted for this award and to see my hard work is being recognised, special shoutout to my amazing PM and PL, Jack Walsh and James King for not only nominating me but being supportive managers.

1^st Place Winner: Callum Benson – Cripps LLP: It feels incredible to have been named Apprentice of the Year for my qualification level. I feel exceptionally fortunate to have been appointed as an apprentice at Cripps in the first place and I have been presented with real opportunities to strengthen my skillsets as part of my apprenticeship and to build on my knowledge – both within the legal sector and more broadly. Being an apprentice has made me more confident, more employable and has instilled in me a holistic, ground-up understanding of the workforce that I will be joining as a solicitor in five years' time. I'd like to say how grateful I am for all of BPP's help: allowing me to lend my perspective to discussions on the national approach to apprenticeships, and enabling me to speak up about apprenticeships to the communities around me. I also can't thank Cripps enough for all of the support they have given me and for facilitating the exceptional programme that I'm on.

Level 6+:

Shortlisted: Alixe Galatis – Bright & Sons Solicitors. Casius Lee – Accenture. Joshua Wilkins – Allen & Overy LLP. Reece Brewster – Jaguar Land-Rover.

Runner Up: Hamza Islam – Norton Rose Fulbright.

Hamza’s commitment to excellence and personal growth sets a high standard for apprenticeships, the wider apprenticeship community, and demonstrating professionalism and enthusiasm throughout.

1^st Place Winner: Dhimple Patel – Great Ormond Street Hospital: ever since I first joined BPP University, I have been deeply inspired by what apprentices can accomplish while balancing work and studies. Year after year, I eagerly watched the annual Apprentice of the Year Awards ceremony, listening to the remarkable impacts of the winners, never imagining that I would one day receive the same honour. Today, I am incredibly grateful and proud to announce that I have won the Apprentice of the Year award at the BPP University Apprentice of the Year Awards. This achievement is a testament to the support and inspiration I received from those who came before me, and I want to extend a huge congratulations to everyone who was nominated. Thank you to all the past winners who inspired me to reach beyond what I thought possible. To those who come after me, I hope my journey shows that every individual can make a significant impact.

Employer of the Year:

This award celebrates those employers who have gone above and beyond for apprenticeships, not only equipping individuals with job-specific skills, but also focusing on providing future-ready skills and all-round support.

Small / Medium:

Shortlisted: Deighton Pierce Glynn. St Austell Brewery

Runner Up: The Martlet Partnership LLP.

The Martlet Partnership have shown incredible commitment to provide apprentices with the necessary tools, support and experience for them to thrive in their accountancy careers and sets them on the pathway to happiness, fulfilment and success.

1^st Place Winner: Dolphin IT Solutions (UK) Ltd.

Dolphin IT Solutions has made a significant impact on many young individual’s careers, giving them the opportunity to kickstart their careers. By creating an inclusive workplace culture and providing opportunities for apprentices, the company is helping to create roads to success for individuals from all backgrounds.

Large:

Shortlisted: Weightmans LLP. Willis Towers Watson

Runner Up: Addleshaw Goddard

Addleshaw Goddard have implemented programs that prepare apprentices for long-term career success, and continuous learning and development.

1^st Place Winner: NatWest Group

Natwest have set a high standard for supportive apprenticeship initiatives through their unwavering support and dedication to developing future-ready skills, providing wellbeing support and providing an arena for apprentices to grow and succeed.

A massive congratulations! You have all been making such amazing achievements and we really hope you can all recognise the amazing work you have been doing in your apprenticeships, in your work, and in the wider sector to make positive social change!