Recently, DoubleTree Hilton played host to The City of Bristol College Apprenticeship Awards 2023, where the event space was filled to the rafters with inspiring stories from each and every nominee and award winner.
Commencing in style with mocktails on arrival, the evening then saw attendees being treated to a performance from the brilliant Circomedia who wowed the audience with their acrobatic and comedic skills.
Then, the room was served an indulgent main course and dessert, something to ignite the feeling of great celebration that would continue throughout the night. The evening brought together a variety of the college’s best apprentices and apprenticeship providers for an evening of immense celebration and recognition.
The awards were hosted by Amiee Mason-Brown, Director of Apprenticeships and Employer Based Training, who brought a real zest to the awards ceremony and captivated the entirety of the room from the very start.
Setting the tone for the evening, Amiee said: “It is my extreme honour and pleasure to be here celebrating with you tonight. We’re incredibly excited to be gathered here at DoubleTree Hilton to acknowledge our talented apprentices and our most prized employers; all of you deserve to be recognised today.
“As Bristol celebrates its 650th birthday this year, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our wonderful apprenticeships and the organisations we work with in this great city.”
Amiee also invited Julia Gray, Principal and Chief Executive Officer, to the stage to present the awards.
The first award of the evening was the Business & Professional Apprentice of the Year. As the nominations for this award were particularly strong, we actually had two winners, Victoria Hobbs and Danielle Mole.
Victoria was commended for being efficient and approachable whilst managing her time and workload effectively and it was said that Danielle has shown initiative and innovative problem solving going above and beyond in sourcing alternative resources.
The second award was the Teaching Assistant Apprentice of the Year. Maddison Forester scooped this accolade.
Madison was recognised for creating a diverse learning environment for her students at Brunel Field Primary School.
Next up was the Construction Apprentice of the Year award. This award was won by Henry Tucker.
Henry has shown not only enthusiasm and a determination to succeed, he has also shown initiative by submitting quality work.
The Engineering Apprentice of the Year award went to Eva Hutnikova.
Eva displays a strong work ethic and aims for her best possible performance in everything that she tackles.
Next, the Catering & Hospitality Apprentice of the Year award was given to Ruby Reader.
Ruby is performing really well, even attending college talks with her employer with existing students to promote apprenticeships.
The Motor Vehicle Apprentice of the Year award went to Christopher England.
Christopher is a model student, always making sure to understand the principles of his apprenticeship.
We then took a break from the awards to welcome Tania Case to the stage, a college staff member who delivered an emotional and hard-hitting talk about her personal ties to The Darby Rimmer MND Foundation, the college’s chosen charity of the year.
Back to the awards and the City of Bristol College Apprentice of the Year award was scooped by Lily Marsh.
Lily was commended for showing enthusiasm in every task that she is given whilst always showing maturity and professionalism in every task that she completes.
It was then time for an incredibly special award, The Jake Rugman Award.
Jake Rugman was an apprentice who was a part of the City of Bristol College family, who sadly lost his life in an accident last year.
Claire Knapp who was Jake’s apprenticeship assessor took to the stage to signify this important time of recognition and reflection as Jake’s parents, Sam and Ade were our guests of honour in the audience.
Claire said: “Last October brought the devastating event that took Jake from us but tonight we are here to celebrate Jake’s fantastic achievement and contribution to the motor vehicle industry.
“For those of you who didn’t have the privilege of getting to know Jake, he was one of the most charismatic, fun people to be around. His sense of fun and wicked sense of humour is why his peers and work colleagues and college staff gravitated towards him.
“Jake was the most naturally gifted motor mechanic apprentice who had the ability to master any job given to him; we knew without question that he would breeze his apprenticeship.”
Beth and Craig from Avonshire Vehicle Repairs, Jake’s place of work, were in attendance as some words from the team were read aloud, saying: “Jake was not your average teenage lad, he was mature and sensible beyond his years in a lot of ways but was also a great joker and would make you smile even on the busiest, most stressful days.
“If any of you in this room can have the same enthusiasm, outlook and spark at work that Jake did, you will do well and be happy in life.”
Following this emotional award of recognition, the Small Employer of the Year award was given to KIS Fire and Security.
The team at KIS was recognised for creating a warm working environment and doing all they can to support their apprentice, Hannah.
Next, the penultimate award of Large Employer of the Year was awarded to Bristol City Council.
Bristol City Council were commended for always looking to upskill their staff and being dedicated to looking after their employees and learners throughout the city.
The final award of the evening was the Apprenticeship Trainer of the Year award which was given to Lucy Clarke.
It was commented that Lucy goes above and beyond to ensure that apprentices feel supported, can reach their full potential and are able to succeed in their ambitions.
The night then successfully drew to a close in a celebratory fashion as the disco kick-started.
From the entire team at City of Bristol College, we would like to take this opportunity to extend our congratulations to all of the deserving award winners and nominees.
The 2023 City of Bristol College Apprenticeship Awards truly was a night to remember with outstanding individuals galore and some extraordinary success stories. Until next year.
