Exeter College has held its Annual Awards celebrating apprentices and honouring the employers that support the work of the college’s award winning apprenticeship programme.

More than 150 Apprentices, employers from around the region, key business leaders, friends and family attended the glittered awards ceremony held at Sandy Park.

Foot Anstey kindly sponsored the awards ceremony hosted at the home of Exeter Chiefs, Sandy Park, Exeter. The evening saw the achievements of 12 apprentice award winners and six employer winners celebrated.

International and Premiership rugby referee Luke Pearce, who is an Exeter College alumnus, was the guest speaker at the awards. He spoke fondly about his time at the College and his experiences officiating at the top flight of the game of rugby and the benefits of apprenticeships for employers and young people.

Exeter Chiefs players Don Armand and Kai Horstmann gave out the awards to the winners on the evening. The event was compared by Exeter College apprentices Hannah Thorne and Tobias Cowan.

This year’s event marks an outstanding year for the college having achieved record apprenticeship success rates, engaging the highest number of apprentices and being the winners of a National Apprenticeship Award.

John Laramy, Exeter College Principal and Chief Executive, said: “These awards mark a truly outstanding year for apprentices at Exeter College, but for me, the true mark of success is the partnership between apprentices, employers and the college, which sits at the heart of our apprenticeship provision.

“I would like to thank the employers, apprentices and college staff for their collective talent, commitment and support, which has made the last year an 'exceptional year' for our apprenticeship work.”

Karen Bates, Partner at Foot Anstey said: “We are delighted to sponsor the Exeter College Apprentice and Employer Awards. We see this as a fantastic opportunity to work in partnership with the college in recognising the work they do in providing a wide range of exceptional apprenticeship programmes, working together with businesses and, most importantly, focusing on the success of the apprentices and their achievements.”

Overall winner of the Exeter College Apprentice of the Year, Phoebe Craven, was delighted to pick up her accolade. She said: “This award has capped a brilliant year for me. I love my job and having the ability to study for my qualifications and work, gaining the practical experience I need, is fantastic for me.

“I’m looking forward to continuing my learning and would recommend an Apprenticeship to anyone considering starting work for the first time. The support from everybody has been fantastic.”

The event also recognised the contribution of employers from across the South West including Passmore Care Services, Combe Pafford Business and Enterprise School, Plymouth City Council, Living Space Architects and HepcoMotion. Exeter College have a substantial network of employers that support apprenticeships and this number is growing.

Mike Blakeley, Director of Apprenticeships and Employer Engagement at Exeter College said: “Our recognised success as a provider is down to the hard work and dedication of our employers and their Apprentices.

“It’s an honour to be able to celebrate their achievements. The event focuses on our winners but it also recognises the success of our 1,500 Apprentices and the efforts of our exceptional business network which now numbers 850. We are exceptionally fortunate in this area to have some of the most supportive and forward thinking businesses in the country.”

Other notable recognitions were made to the Exeter Chiefs AASE winning rugby team with the award being accepted on their behalf by Tony Rowe and Outstanding Commitment to Apprenticeships was awarded to Fiona Parsons from South West Water and South West Apprenticeship Ambassador.

The Apprenticeship winners were

• Chelsea Northcott from Darnell’s Chartered Accountants – Accountancy Apprentice of the Year
• Harry Goode from AB Special Projects – Construction Apprentice of the Year
• Kelsie Catlin from Echoes Nursery – Education Apprentice of the Year
• Michael Rea from SPENCO Engineering – Engineering Apprentice of the Year
• Sophie Martin from Quinns Hair Salon – Hairdressing Apprentice of the Year
• Alice Long from Life Dental and Wellbeing – Healthcare Apprentice of the Year
• Mickala Tuvey from Angela’s Restaurant – Hospitality Apprentice of the Year
• Lloyd Duckworth from St. Peters Church of England Aided School – IT Apprentice of the Year
• Ben Pearson from Ottery Motor Services – Motor Vehicle Apprentice of the Year
• Chelsea Stamp from LED Leisure – Sports and Leisure Apprentice of the Year
• Phoebe Craven from Foot Anstey – Business and Overall Apprentice of the Year
• Exeter Chiefs AASE – Apprenticeship Achievement of the Year

The Employer award winners were:

• Small Business of the Year – Passmore Care Services
• Medium Business of the Year – Combe Pafford Business and Enterprise School
• Large Business of the Year – Plymouth City Council
• Highly Commended New Business of the Year – Living Space Architects
• New Business of the Year – HepcoMotion
• Contribution to Apprenticeships – Fiona Parsons