In honour of National Apprenticeship Week 2026, the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group hosted its Annual Apprenticeship Awards celebrating apprentices, mentors and employers from across the Group.
Hosted at Wakefield Trinity RLFC’s Belle Vue stadium on Thursday 12th February, the awards ceremony invited apprentices from its Colleges - Castleford College, Selby College and Wakefield College - and their family and friends, employers and staff from the Group to celebrate the achievements over the past academic year.
Following a welcome speech from the Group’s Director of Apprenticeships, Chris Baker and Head of Apprenticeships Quality and Curriculum, Justine Wood, Wakefield College Performing Arts student, Lucy Towers, performed a series of musical theatre songs.
Eight accolades were presented throughout the event by the Apprenticeships Team and sponsors. An ‘Apprentice of the Year’ was acknowledged within each subject area, with each receiving a certificate, plaque and voucher. The winners were:
- Business, Professional and Enterprise Apprentice of the Year – Aiste Sarvaite
- Construction Apprentice of the Year (Sponsored by West Yorkshire Windows) – Kier Dalton
- Engineering & Motor Vehicle Apprentice of the Year – Owen Parsons
- Health & Education Apprentice of the Year (Sponsored by InspiredEd Collaborative) – Kerry Hirst
Kier Dalton, Construction Apprentice of the Year, said: “I’m over the moon to have won the award and proud that my hard work and dedication has been recognised. I’m currently working on my apprenticeship End Point Assessment and I want to stay on with my company, Complete Property Revival. I’m really glad that I chose to do an apprenticeship as it’s helped me grow as a person and mature.”
Construction Apprentice of the Year, Kier Dalton (right) with award sponsor, Karen Starkey (left), Head of HR at West Yorkshire Windows.
A number of accolades were presented throughout the ceremony to acknowledge the contributions of the Group’s employer partners to apprenticeships, including:
- Small to Medium Employer of the Year (Sponsored by Drax) – Micra Truck Bodies Ltd
- Large Employer of the Year – Schneider Electric
- New Partnership of the Year – Yorkshire Garden Centres Group Ltd
- Mentor of the Year – Christina Nicholson, Morgan Sindall Property Services
Simon Nelson, Office Manager at Micra Truck Bodies Ltd, said: “We are so proud to have won this award. Apprenticeships have always been a priority for us and we believe they are an integral part of the future of businesses like ours. It’s fantastic that the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group has recognised us with this award.”
Chris Baker, Group Director for Apprenticeships at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, said: “Our Annual Apprenticeship Awards ceremony is one of the highlights of the academic year for us. It’s fantastic to be able to bring together apprentices and employers from across the region to shine a light on the outstanding achievements and positive impact apprenticeships make to people, businesses and the wider economy. This year’s winners are a testament to this success, as well as the hard work of our fantastic tutors, assessors and professional staff who work collaboratively with our employers to enable each and every one of our apprentices to achieve.”
This year, the award ceremony hosted a raffle for the guests with the funds raised going to the SHINE Trust – a charity that supports children and young people in hundreds of schools across the North West, North East and Yorkshire & Humber. Fiona Spellman from SHINE Trust delivered a speech about the work the charity does to unlock barriers to learning for children across the region.
The ceremony concluded the Group’s activities for National Apprenticeship Week 2026, which included apprenticeship-focused Open Events at each College and an Employer Breakfast also held at Belle Vue Stadium, which focused on widening participation within apprenticeships. The Apprenticeships Team also visited schools across the region to deliver talks on the range of apprenticeships available at the Colleges including how to apply.
The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group’s Apprenticeship offer delivers programmes across sectors including Business, Construction, Engineering, Healthcare and more.
It works with over 500 employers to deliver the programmes, which span SMEs, local authorities and national organisations such as Unilever, Coca Cola, Haribo, ENGIE, Burberry, Warburtons, the Emergency Services, Bosch, Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation, Mars and NHS Trusts.
Find out more about the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group’s Apprenticeship offer, at: https://www.heartofyorkshire.ac.uk/courses/apprenticeships