Record-breaking Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards raises curtain on National Apprenticeship Week

Apprentices, their families and colleagues came together on Friday night to celebrate in style and witness an historic Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards as Truro and Penwith College hosted its ninth annual event at the Eden Project.

The Awards showcased the achievements of 49 shortlisted employer, mentor and apprentice nominees after a record-breaking year, with well over 140 nominations received across 18 categories. The ever-popular public vote to help determine Cornwall’s Achiever of the Year also attracted well over a record-breaking 700 online votes from members of the public.

Neil and Saffy from the Hits Radio Cornwall Breakfast Show took centre stage to present the awards, held in partnership with Headline Sponsors Hertzian, Award Partners Duchy Hospital, Wildanet, Watson-Marlow, Media Partners Business Cornwall, Reception sponsors CORMAC and with the support of a host of local and national sponsors, to recognise and reward exceptional achievement.

The ninth annual awards were attended by special guests Perran Moon MP, Noah Law MP and Jayne Kirkham MP, taking place at Eden Project for the second occasion having outgrown its traditional Truro College venue in 2024. A huge audience of well over 200 celebrated the achievements of apprentices from across Cornwall who work in a variety of sectors, academic and workplace mentors, and employers who go the extra mile in the provision and support they provide their own apprentices.

The Awards are open to all apprentices, apprenticeship employers and mentors across Cornwall and cover a range of professional categories including construction, engineering, management, marketing and business. Judging the awards was a panel of industry leaders from a range of large and medium employers from Cornwall and across the UK.

New Nursing & Clinical and Healthcare & Early Years Apprentice of the Year categories were added to the event for the very first time to recognise the recent growth and community impact of apprenticeships in these sectors.

Tom Heap from Royal Cornwall Hospital’s NHS Trust (RCHT), scooped the first-ever Healthcare and Early Years Apprentice of the Year award, sponsored by Cornwall Opportunities, having implemented a Pressure Care Audit that successfully identifies whether patients need specialised equipment to prevent pressure sores, supporting well-being and the allocation of resources.

Apprentice Sarah Collett, also from RCHT, picked up Nursing & Clinical Apprentice of the Year, sponsored by Duchy Hospital, having had a significant impact on clinical practice through her research on the benefits of listening to music during surgery to reduce patient stress and anxiety. Initially a Theatre Assistant, she progressed to an Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) Apprenticeship and has recently secured employment as a Registered ODP.

The exceptional work of staff across Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) was highlighted with no less than six nominees shortlisted across the event including Harry Cranstone (Accountancy Apprentice of the Year), Lilita Miller (Nursing & Clinical) and Safiya Hicks (Healthcare and Early Years) who were all Highly Commended in their categories, while RCHT also picked up Highly Commended recognition in the Large Employer of the Year Award, sponsored by GetMyFirstJob.

The stars of the night were Piers Smith, who collected the popular Apprentice Achiever of the Year Award, sponsored by Wildanet, and Oliver Elwell-Deighton who was presented the coveted title of Cornwall’s Apprentice of the Year 2025 by Headline Sponsors Hertzian after also picking up Digital & IT Apprentice of the Year, sponsored by Cornwall Council.

Piers has overcome a hearing impediment and some learning needs that give him a unique outlook. He was the victim of bullying throughout school and as a consequence was worried about stepping back into education, with his first day at College marking the first time he had left Fowey on his own.

Over the course of his apprenticeship Piers’s confidence has sky-rocketed, now running a restaurant dessert section for his employer St Austell Brewery, he has reshaped workflows to deliver a significant increase in profits, while also arranging for himself and colleagues to take part in community charity events that have raised over £1,000 towards defibrillators across Cornwall.

Judge and Headline Sponsor Chris Weavill commented: “Piers has done a fantastic job, showing resilience and determination, getting past a lot of the challenges he’s had throughout his apprenticeship. Piers has come a long way in becoming a member of the team, while also supporting charities and the broader community, making it a well-deserved Achiever of the Year Award for him”.

After collecting his award in front of the 200-strong audience Piers said: “I’m shocked, I didn’t expect to be in the finals and am really proud of myself. I have to thank my family, tutors and my employer.”

Cornwall’s Apprentice of the Year 2025, Oliver Elwell-Deighton, has made contributions that his employer TouchByte regards as ‘outstanding for any level of employee and all the more impressive considering his apprenticeship status’. Playing a leading role in the development of software features for his Face Recognition technology focused employer, Oliver has travelled the globe, pitching products at international trade shows to audiences of up to 400 in the Netherlands, USA, Dubai and beyond.

Julie-Anne Sunderland, Chief People Officer at Wildanet, was one of three judges in the Digital and IT category and commented: “We were looking for individuals who demonstrated innovation and took the ideas of their employers and ran with them to new levels. Oliver has certainly done that, he is a truly worthy winner”.

Oliver commented: “It’s a massive privilege to have been selected as Cornwall’s Apprentice of the Year 2025 amongst such a range of skilled people. The apprenticeship route has been fantastic for me, it’s given me a way into the industry that I don’t think I’d have been able to get anywhere else”.

Hosts Truro and Penwith College has enjoyed its own success in apprenticeships having been recognised by the Department for Education as one of only five FE Colleges awarded Expert Apprenticeship Provider status.

The College is also attending a Parliamentary Reception during National Apprenticeship Week having also been announced as a finalist in the Apprenticeship Provider of the Year category at the national Apprenticeship and Training Awards 2025, joining fellow finalists Cardiff & Vale College, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service and Salford City College Group.

Continued multi-million-pound facilities investments have also seen the College open its new STEM and Health Skills Centre Bodmin to complement state-of-the-art facilities at its Penzance and Truro campus, where students have also benefitted from a £1.7 million redevelopment and expansion of future-focused Construction facilities.

The Large Apprentice Employer of the Year award was sponsored by GetMyFirstJob and won by Seasalt Cornwall which launched its apprenticeship programme in 2018 focussing on inclusion and social mobility, with 82% of its apprentices securing permanent roles and a 100% pass rate.

SME Employer of the Year, sponsored by Eden Project, was won by RG Kellow with its apprenticeship programme improving efficiency, customer satisfaction, delivering cost savings and increasing revenue by 25% year-on-year for the last three-years. Judges noted RG Kellow’s innovative ‘Training Zone’ promotes hands-on development, resulting in an impressive apprentice retention rate.

Other category winners on the night included: Academic Mentor of the Year – Sponsored by Coastline Housing – Karen Rowling from Truro and Penwith College; Workplace Mentor of the Year – Sponsored By Cornwall Glass – James Wilson from Cornwall Council; Hospitality Apprentice of the Year – Sponsored by St Austell Brewery – Alice Norris from St Austell Brewery; Accountancy Apprentice of the Year – Sponsored by Truro and Penwith College, Grace Gordon from Harland Accountants; Construction and Trade Apprentice of the Year – Sponsored by Dales Cornwall Van Centre, Tinka Dos Santos from CORMAC; Business & Management Apprentice of the Year – Sponsored by Imerys – Charlie Williams-Burford from Go Cornwall Bus; Marketing Apprentice of the Year – Sponsored by Premier Foods – Cheryl Wright from Cornwall Council; Hair & Beauty Apprentice of the Year – Sponsored by Truro and Penwith College – Hannah Pyatt from Fuzion Hair and Beauty; Motor Vehicle Apprentice of the Year – Sponsored by Go Cornwall Bus – Hallie Cheung from Steve Toyer; Engineering & Manufacturing Apprentice of the Year – Sponsored by Cornwall Manufacturers Group – Ruby Salmon from Cornwall Glass; Land-based Apprentice of the Year – Sponsored by Truro and Penwith College – Georgia Pollard from Falmouth Town Council.

Speaking after the event, Martin Tucker, Principal of Truro and Penwith College, commented: “We are delighted to host the ninth annual Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards and to celebrate exceptional achievement and outcomes in apprenticeship training across Cornwall. I’d like to give special thanks to our sponsors, supporters and business partners for not only their contributions this evening but without whom the College’s exceptional work in apprenticeship training simply wouldn’t be possible.

“For apprenticeships to deliver economically they need to be of the highest quality. The Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards presents a perfect opportunity to recognise that quality and we have thoroughly enjoyed this evening celebrating all the talent that exists across all apprenticeship provision in Cornwall.

“At Truro and Penwith College, we are delighted to be one of only five FE Colleges across the UK that the Department for Education has recognised as an Expert Apprenticeship Provider. We are looking forward to attending a Parliamentary Reception next week as a finalist in the Apprenticeship Provider of the Year category at the national Apprenticeship and Training Awards 2025.

“With the opening of our new multi-million-pound STEM and Health Skills Centre in Bodmin, complementing our state-of-the-art facilities at Truro and Penzance, and our Apprenticeship Expert status, we work closely with the DfE and our employer partners to continually develop the very best apprenticeship programmes for the whole of Cornwall.

“A huge congratulations to all of tonight’s nominees, we can’t wait to see where their careers take them next”.

Christopher Weavill, Co-Founder and CEO at Headline Sponsors Hertzian said: “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 as Headline Sponsors”.

The Awards were preceded by a delicious four-course dinner, with three courses prepared and served from Eden Project kitchens followed by petits fours, fresh from students in the training kitchens at Truro and Penwith College. Further support was offered from the business community with generous sponsorship from Imerys providing the stunning glass trophies, CORMAC which sponsored the gala reception and tables, and Watson-Marlow that provided the evening’s entertainment in the form of live music, magicians and photo-booth.

Discover more about the College’s leading apprenticeship programmes at www.truro-penwith.ac.uk/apprenticeships.