Truro and Penwith College has opened nominations for the next highly anticipated Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards that will precede National Apprenticeship Week on 07 February at the Eden Project, after 2024 was the biggest-ever event.
Neil and Saffy from Hits Radio Cornwall’s Breakfast Show will present the Awards with Cornwall’s business community again coming out in force to support the annual event as it returns for its ninth year.
Headline sponsors Hertzian are joined by Award Partners; Duchy Hospital, Wildanet, Watson Marlow Fluid Technology Group and Media Partners Business Cornwall with a host of other local and national businesses. Support for the Awards has grown further in 2025 with CORMAC and Imerys British Lithium supporting the guest receptions and sparkling glass trophies.
Brand-new Nursing & Clinical and Healthcare & Early Years categories have been added to the event in 2025 for the very first time to reflect the recent growth and impact of apprenticeships in these sectors.
The new categories join the highly popular Academic Mentor and Workplace Mentor of the Year categories that were added in 2024.
Nominations are now being accepted online for all eighteen categories at www.truro-penwith.ac.uk/CAA where information on all the categories, eligibility and the award’s evening is also available.
The simple nomination process requires a short 150-200-word explanation for each piece of judging criteria, highlighting why the nominee is an example of excellence with up to 50 due to be shortlisted after nominations close at 5pm on Monday 21 October.
Any Cornwall-based apprentice, employer or mentor is eligible for nomination, regardless of their College or training provider, provided they have been involved in apprenticeship training since June 2023.
Tamzin Irvin, Programme Team Leader of Nursing and Allied Health at Truro and Penwith College, scooped the first-ever Academic Mentor of the Year Award in 2024 in recognition of her key role in establishing Nursing apprenticeship programmes in Cornwall.
Emma Harris from Cornwall Group Ltd picked up Workplace Mentor of the Year and was described as ‘a consistent source of inspiration with countless success stories from those who are fortunate enough to be mentored by her’.
James Angliss, degree-level Chartered Surveyor apprentice, won the coveted title of Cornwall’s Apprentice of the Year 2024 along with Construction and Trade Occupations Apprentice of the Year for his exceptional success following a life-changing diagnosis.
James joined RCHT following a diagnosis of IBD and went on to achieve two promotions, project managing a multi-million-pound breast screening equipment replacement programme.
James commented: “For anybody that isn’t an apprentice and might want to be, just take a look, there’s lots of inspiring people in the room today. Just listen to their stories, apprenticeships are a great pathway and I’ve benefited a great deal out of it and you could too.”
2024 saw the ever-popular Achiever of the Year category awarded to 47-year-old Sarah Hyde-Wear, Restaurant Supervisor and Hospitality Apprentice at Fistral Beach Hotel, who was also presented Hospitality Apprentice of the Year.
Sarah had navigated several difficulties and personal hurdles throughout her apprenticeship including resitting her English and Maths exams and a Dyslexia diagnosis while undergoing hip surgery and a significant family illness.
Sarah commented: “I’ve not been in education for over 30-years and I feel super proud of myself.
“If you’ve got a chance to be an apprentice then take the opportunity, it doesn’t matter how old you are, believe in yourself and just give it a go. The support network I’ve had around me since I’ve been at [Truro and Penwith] College has been incredible”.
2024’s Large Apprentice Employer of the Year award was won by Pendennis Shipyard which had entered its 26th year of delivering apprenticeships, with a staggering 350 apprentices embarking on careers with the firm and an impressive 95% of these seamlessly transitioning into permanent positions, HNCs and university-level apprenticeships, with 18% of the management team having been former apprentices.
SME Employer of the Year, was won by Hiyield with two of the company’s apprentices, Paige Sambells and Logan Ford, winning Marketing Apprentice of the Year and Digital and IT Apprentice of the year on the night.
The 2025 Awards is supported by headline sponsors Hertzian who will also present the coveted Cornwall’s Apprentice of the Year 2025, Christopher Weavil, Co-Founder and CEO commented: “Eighteen percent of Hertzian’s workforce is made up of Truro and Penwith College apprentices, with thirty-six percent having studied an apprenticeship with Hertzian at some stage of their career. We are very happy to be sponsoring Cornwall’s Apprenticeship Awards event.”
Martin Tucker, Principal at Truro and Penwith College commented: “We are thrilled to open nominations for the ninth annual Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards. The College is incredibly proud of the Awards and the high regard in which it is held by employers and learners across the county. We look forward to a very enjoyable evening celebrating all the talent that exists across the apprenticeship provision in the county on 07 February”.
Nominations for the Awards are being accepted online along with more information about the event and nomination process: www.truro-penwith.ac.uk/CAA. Anyone wishing to submit a nomination can also email nominations@truro-penwith.ac.uk for guidance.
