Winners announced at 2022 Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Awards

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons today announced the winners of the annual Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Awards.

Minister Gordon Lyons at the virtual NI Apprenticeship Awards ceremony with ceremony compere Sarah Travers with former two-weight world champion boxer Carl Frampton.

This year’s ceremony, compered by local presenter Sarah Travers, is the highlight of a week of special events held during the third annual Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Week which shines a spotlight on the range and excellence of apprenticeships across the region.

Winners

The 2022 winners are:

The SME Employer Award:

McGuinness Plumbing in partnership with Southern Regional College.

The Higher Level Apprentice Award:

Lewis Connelly, working towards his HLA in Food and Drink Manufacturing, is employed by Linden Foods Ltd and is undergoing his training at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise.

The Apprentice Award:

Lauren Johnston, working towards a Level 3 in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering, is employed by Diageo Packaging Belfast and is undergoing her training at South Eastern Regional College.

The Large Employer Award:

The joint winners are Farrans Construction in partnership with Ulster University and Greiner Packaging Ltd in partnership with South West College.

Speaking at the event, the Minister said:

“I want to commend all the finalists who were shortlisted for this year’s awards and congratulate the winners. With around 10,000 participants across our apprenticeship and higher level apprenticeship programmes, to be nominated for these awards is testament to your enthusiasm, dedication to learning and the qualities you bring to your employers.

“I would also like to pay tribute to the great work being done by training providers and employers, without whose support, commitment and foresight we would not be able to deliver apprenticeships. The calibre of entries this year has once again been extremely high and reflects the continued success of apprenticeships during what has been a hugely challenging year for businesses and learners."

The Minister concluded:

“As our economy continues to recover following the effects of the pandemic, developing the local skills base is a key priority for me and a cornerstone of the recovery. My Department’s 10X Economic Vision and associated Skills Strategy set out how we want to equip people with the skills they need for the constantly evolving jobs market and build on Northern Ireland’s successes on the global stage. Apprenticeships have a vital role to play in making this a reality.”

Notes to editors: 

1. Photograph caption: Pictured with Economy Minister Gordon Lyons at the virtual NI Apprenticeship Awards ceremony are local presenter and ceremony compere Sarah Travers with former two-weight world champion boxer Carl Frampton.

2. Pictures and captions featuring the award winners are available on request by emailing pressoffice@economy-ni.gov.uk

3. Information on apprenticeships and events happening during Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Week can be found on the nidirect website.

4. More information on the Apprenticeship Awards 2022 can be found on the Department’s website.

5. To keep up to date with news from the Department you can follow us on the following social media channels:

• Twitter – @Economy_NI
• Facebook – @EconomyNI
• Skills to Succeed Facebook – SkillstoSucceedni
• Instagram – economy_ni
• LinkedIn – Department for the Economy NI

6. For media enquiries contact the Department for the Economy Press Office at pressoffice@economy-ni.gov.uk

7. The Executive Information Service operates an out-of-hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

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