University’s Apprenticeship Awards 2026 open for nominations
The University of Huddersfield has opened nominations for its annual Apprenticeship Awards, which celebrate the success and achievements of its apprentices and their employers over the past 12 months.
The Awards are designed to recognise apprentices who have made an outstanding contribution to their workplace, as well as employers that have been pivotal to the University’s apprenticeship programme.
Nominations for the 2026 Awards were launched earlier this month during National Apprenticeship Week, which ran from 9 to 15 February.
There is a total of ten categories across both Schools involved in apprenticeship provision at the University – the School of Human and Health Sciences and the School of Business, Education and Law.
These include Apprentice of the Year 2026 for Levels 5 to 7 across both Schools, as well as both Small (under 100 employees) and Large Employer of the Year 2026 at both Schools. The final category is for Apprenticeship Ambassador of the Year 2026.
Brian Culleton, Director of Apprenticeships at the University, commented: “Every year, our Apprenticeship Awards remind us that apprenticeships change lives. We are proud to recognise apprentices who go above and beyond in their workplaces, and employers who champion opportunity and progression.”
The nomination window is open for six weeks from 11 February to 31 March 2026 and can be made using the links below for each different category and School.
The Apprentice of the Year categories are as follows:
- Level 5 Apprentice of the Year 2026 (School of Human and Health Sciences)
- Level 6 Apprentice of the Year 2026 (School of Human and Health Sciences)
- Level 7 Apprentice of the Year 2026 (School of Human and Health Sciences)
- Level 5 Apprentice of the Year 2026 (School of Business Education and Law)
- Level 7 Apprentice of the Year 2026 (School of Business Education and Law)
The Employer of the Year categories are as follows:
- Small Employer of the Year 2026 (School of Human and Health Sciences)
- Large Employer of the Year 2026 (School of Human and Health Sciences)
- Small Employer of the Year 2026 (School of Business Education and Law)
- Large Employer of the Year 2026 (School of Business Education and Law)
In addition, there is an open category for people who champion apprenticeships and contribute to the success of apprenticeships in their workplace:
Further details on eligibility for each category are available here.
Find out more about the University's apprenticeship programme
The University offers a number of higher and degree apprenticeships, which are a way for employers to support their staff to study for university qualifications. Apprentices spend part of their time at the University and the remainder at their place of work, benefitting from on-the-job training, enhanced by their degree education.
Awarded the highest possible grade of Outstanding by Ofsted for its apprenticeship provision, the University reached an overall 100 per cent pass rate for 2024/25 according to the latest Department for Education figures. This came on the back of the University having the best Qualification Achievement Rate in 2023/24 for university providers in England with more than 100 apprentices when the full set of data was released.