Oxfordshire’s best apprentices celebrated at awards event

The 10th Annual Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards took place on May 21 at the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities in Oxford, organised by Enterprise Oxfordshire.

The ceremony brought together nearly 200 guests and recognised apprentices, employers, and educators who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in work-based learning.

Supported by a business-led committee, the awards aim to promote the value of apprenticeships and inspire employers across the county.

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.”

Awards were given across 10 categories, including Intermediate, Advanced, and Higher Apprentice of the Year, as well as Rising Star and Shining Star awards.

This year’s headline sponsor was Popham Hairdressing, which also chose the overall Apprentice of the Year.

The winner of that category was Lucy Harold, a trainee biomedical scientist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

She also took home the Higher Apprentice of the Year award.

Other category winners included:

Chelsey Church, apprentice furniture manufacturer at Bill Cleyndert & Company (Intermediate Apprentice of the Year) Callum Gordon, group car schemes advisor at Alphabet (GB), BMW Group (Advanced Apprentice of the Year) Dominique Southwick, finance and HR manager at Darcica Logistics (Shining Star) Shilpa Bhatt, apprenticeships and widening participation lead at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust & BOB ICS (Skills Champion) Employer awards went to Live Wire Event Solutions (employer under 250 employees) and the Atlassian Williams F1 Team (employer over 250 employees).

The event also recognised the changing landscape of skills funding, noting the recent replacement of the Apprenticeship Levy with the Growth and Skills Levy.

Enterprise Oxfordshire has supported employers across the county to access and use apprenticeship funding, helping to start 551 apprenticeships and learner starts since the introduction of the levy.

The organisation became the trading name of OxLEP in April 2025, following a transition that saw economic development functions move under the governance of Oxfordshire County Council.

The council now acts as the sole shareholder of Enterprise Oxfordshire.