TELEVISION business journalist Steph McGovern is to host this year's Worcestershire Apprenticeship Awards.

Held for the first time last year, when Nick Hewer of BBC’s The Apprentice compered, the awards will take place at West Midland Safari Park on the evening of November 12.

The event is being organised by Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, Worcestershire.Business.Central. and Worcestershire County Council and nominations have opened for 13 awards to recognise some of the county’s most successful apprenticeships.

Gary Woodman, executive director at the Worcestershire LEP, said: “Last year’s awards were an excellent way to celebrate the hugely successful Worcestershire’s apprenticeship programmes which are vital in developing the skills of the younger workforce. The number of people participating in an apprenticeship scheme in the county now stands at more than 10,000 and we know that there are many successes locally. This year’s awards will once again recognise excellence and I would urge everyone to take this opportunity to nominate an apprentice or an employer for these awards at the earliest opportunity.”

Judy Chadwick, skills and investment manager at the County Council, added: "Following the success of last year’s awards, Worcestershire Apprenticeships are delighted to be able to recognise the achievements of the county’s apprentices again this year on 12 November. All local businesses and organisations are encouraged to submit their nominations as this is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the successes of apprenticeships in Worcestershire.”

Categories for this year’s apprentice awards include: Worcestershire apprentice of the year, higher level apprentice of the year, advanced level apprentice of the year, intermediate level apprentice of the year, pre-apprenticeship of the year and school of the year.

There are also employers awards for: Worcestershire apprenticeship employer of the year, large apprenticeship employer of the year (250 plus employees), medium apprenticeship employer of the year (50 plus employees), small apprenticeship employer of the year (up to 50 employees), newcomer apprenticeship employer, training provider of the year and apprentice ambassador of the year.

Nominations will remain open until May 31. For further information and to download nomination forms, visit www.worcsapprenticeships.org.uk which also includes a wealth of information for those seeking apprenticeship opportunities or looking to employ an apprentice. Completed nominations and enquiries for sponsorship opportunities and table bookings, should be sent to awardsnominations@worcestershire.gov.uk Join the conversation on Twitter using #WorcsApprentices

Local people, training providers and employers are being encouraged to put forward nominees for this year’s Worcestershire Apprenticeship Awards, hosted by Steph McGovern.

The awards, which were held for the first time in November last year and hosted by BBC’s The Apprentice, Nick Hewer, were hugely successful and saw six apprentices, five employers and one school picking up awards with an audience of over 360 people.

Nominations opened this week (7 April) for this year’s awards, which are once again being organised by Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, Worcestershire.Business.Central. and Worcestershire County Council and being held at West Midland Safari Park on the evening of 12 November 2015.

This year there are 13 awards available to recognise some of the County’s most successful apprenticeships. Categories for this year’s awards are:

Apprentice Awards

• Worcestershire Apprentice of the year

• Higher Level Apprentice of the year

• Advanced Level Apprentice of the year

• Intermediate Level Apprentice of the year

• Pre-apprenticeship of the year

• School of the year.

Employer Awards

• Worcestershire Apprenticeship Employer of the Year

• Large Apprenticeship Employer of the year (> 250 employees)

• Medium Apprenticeship Employer of the year (> 50 employees)

• Small Apprenticeship Employer of the year (< 50 employees)

• Newcomer Apprenticeship Employer

• Training Provider of the Year

• Apprentice Ambassador of the Year.

Gary Woodman, Executive Director at the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Last year’s awards were an excellent way to celebrate the hugely successful Worcestershire’s apprenticeship programmes which are vital in developing the skills of the younger workforce.

“The number of people participating in an apprenticeship scheme in the County now stands at over 10,000 and we know that there are many successes locally. This year’s awards will once again recognise excellence and I would urge everyone to take this opportunity to nominate an apprentice or an employer for these awards at the earliest opportunity.”

Judy Chadwick, Skills and Investment Manager at Worcestershire County Council said: “Following the success of last year’s awards, Worcestershire Apprenticeships are delighted to be able to recognise the achievements of the county’s apprentices again this year on 12 November.”

“All local businesses and organisations are encouraged to submit their nominations as this is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the successes of apprenticeships in Worcestershire.”

Nominations will remain open until 31 May 2015. For further information and to download nomination forms, visit www.worcsapprenticeships.org.uk which also includes a wealth of information for those seeking apprenticeship opportunities or looking to employ an apprentice.

Completed nominations, and enquiries for sponsorship opportunities and table bookings, should be sent to awardsnominations@worcestershire.gov.uk Join the conversation on Twitter using #WorcsApprentices