Skills Partnership of the Year Award
What makes a winner?
The Greater Lincolnshire Skills Partnership of the Year Award 2026 seeks to acknowledge and celebrate a two-way partnership which clearly demonstrates how the partners have worked together to deliver outstanding skills development outcomes. Judges will note evidence of strong collaboration, innovation within the partnership, continuous improvement and the clear impact on learners and employers.
Please note: there can be more than two organisations that benefit from this partnership, but focus your answer on the two main partners.
Nominations should explain how the partnership demonstrates exceptional commitment to delivering high‑quality skills development by providing coordinated support, meaningful training, and clear progression opportunities for learners. The partners should evidence how they work together to create a positive and inclusive learning environment, maintain strong and effective collaboration, and make a measurable impact on learner progression, confidence, and skills across their organisations and the wider community.
In particular, judges are looking for evidence of:
- Clear and effective partnership working between the key organisations involved, demonstrating shared goals, strong communication, and joint problem‑solving.
- How the partnership provides meaningful and coherent development opportunities that enable learners to achieve their qualifications, grow professionally, and feel supported throughout their learning journey.
- How the partnership jointly supports opportunities for learners to progress into sustained employment, higher‑level study, or advanced roles - ensuring that progression pathways are visible, accessible, and actively promoted by all partners.
Who should enter?
This award is open to partnerships between two primary organisations that work together to deliver exceptional skills development outcomes in Greater Lincolnshire. The partnership may also benefit additional organisations or community groups, but the application should focus on the two main partners whose collaboration drives the core activity.
Entries are particularly encouraged from:
- Partnerships between employers and training providers, for the delivery of Skills Boot Camps.
- Or any other skills-focused collaboration that demonstrates strong joint working and tangible impact on learners.
Completing the form
Nominations may be submitted by one of the partner organisations or by an external stakeholder who has observed the impact of the partnership. All applicants must be able to evidence that the partnership is active within Greater Lincolnshire and has contributed to measurable improvements in learner progression, confidence, and skills.
A third‑party endorsement from an organisation with a professional relationship to the partnership is required for the application to be progressed to adjudication. Without a third-party endorsement, your application cannot be progressed to adjudication.
Please read these guidance notes carefully – they will help you to complete the application form.
Guidance on completing your application
Please complete all sections of the application form. Incomplete entries will not be progressed to the judging stage.
Forms should be completed and submitted using the online form.
Please observe and adhere to the character limit where these apply. The online form will not accept submissions beyond this limit.
The application form is split into four sections:
- Section 1 – Contact Information
- Section 2 – Background Information
- Section 3 – Application
- Section 4 – Third Party Endorsement
Please ensure that you follow the guidance notes as this will enable you to provide the information that the judges need. All entries will be treated in the strictest of confidence.
Section One – Contact Information
In this section, we will ask for details of the person making the nomination. We will also ask for a Third Party Endorsement. The Third Party must have a professional relationship with the employer that is being nominated. Please note the endorsement will count towards 25% of the overall mark for this category. The application will not be accepted without the third party endorsement.
We will ask for the endorser’s job title and employer details.
Section Two – Partner details
In the next section we will ask for details of the first and second partner you are nominating. We will ask for contact details of the partner should there be any queries.
We will ask for a partnership overview, describing the purpose the partnership, what shared goals they have and how responsibilities are shared. We will ask you how long the partnership has been in place and how they ensure that communication is maintained effective.
Please note, this section will not be scored, but will help the judges to assess the success of the partnership.
Section Three - Application
Please answer all questions as fully as possible. Include evidence such as quotes from clients, staff/apprentices, statistics, comparative data, etc. Remember the judges will be looking for evidence of a productive, pro-active and committed partnership which benefits the business and skills development.
Question 1 – Describe the challenge(s) the partnership has addressed and how they have worked together to address the problem(s) (20%)
In this question, the judges will be looking to understand the operational or logistical challenges that needed joint working to overcome, and why a partnership approach was needed. The partnership should demonstrate active collaboration such as joint planning and design of training or programme delivery. (Max 2,500 characters)
Question 2 - Please describe what innovation has been introduced during this partnership. (20%)
The judges will be looking for evidence of how changes or flexibilities to the delivery of training have helped the success of the programme; any specialist input that has been embedded or any ‘added value’ for the organisation and learners. (Max 2,500 characters)
Question 3 – Please explain what the impact of this partnership has been on all parties involved. You can use statistics or specific examples to help explain. (20%)
You could give evidence of clear outcomes for all involved in this partnership, or specific examples or statistics that demonstrate how the partnership has made a measureable difference for example to achievement rates, career progress, stronger employer engagement. (Max 2,500 characters)
Question 4 – What are the key strengths of this partnership and why does it deserve an award (20%)
As an example you can tell us about plans for partnership development, how you work together to continuously improve outcomes and how this will benefit everyone involved.
Declaration
At this stage, you will be asked to submit your form and complete your declaration to confirm that you have the consent of the nominee(s) to be nominated for Skills Partnership of the Year Award 2026. We will ask you what your professional relationship is to the nominess.
A notification will be sent to your nominated third-party endorser, attaching a copy of Section Two Background Information and your answers to Section Three Application. This information is shared to enable the endorser to fully complete their part of the application.
If the third-party endorsement is not received, then your application cannot be progressed to adjudication.
The endorser will be asked to confirm that they support the application to be considered for Greater Lincolnshire Skills Partnership of the Year Award 2026, and that they are happy for the information provided to be used with publicity material for the awards.
Section Four – Third Party Endorsement
This question asks for a third-party endorsement to support your application for consideration as Greater Lincolnshire Skills Partnership of the Year Award 2026. The third-party endorsement should come from a representative of an organisation who has a professional relationship with the nominees, for example a training provider or supply chain business. An individual can nominate the partnership; if this is an apprentice employed within the organisation they must have been on programme since 1 December 2025 or completed their apprenticeship during the 25/26 academic year (1/8/25-31/-7/26). Your endorser should be based in Greater Lincolnshire.
Endorsers will be asked to confirm their organisation, role and contact details so that the endorsement can be verified.
All parties will receive confirmation of the application.
Endorsement question – Why do you think that this partnership should be considered for the Greater Lincolnshire Skills Partnership Award 2026? (20%)?
In your answer, your endorser should outline the aspects of the partnership’s approach to ensuring that skills development and training is of high quality and benefits all those involved. This could include the opportunities that the partnership makes available for skills development and progression, and flexibilities or systems that have been adopted to support learners overcome barriers or challenges accessing learning. Specific examples of how the partnership has gone above and beyond to support individuals and the wider skills agenda in Greater Lincolnshire would be welcomed. (Max 2,500 characters)
Help with your application
If you require any help with your application, please email employmentandskills@lincolnshire.gov.uk.
Conditions of entry
The organisers cannot accept any responsibility for loss or damage of an entry. All entries will be treated in the strictest of confidence. The judges’ decisions will be final, and no correspondence or discussion will be entered into regarding the selection of winners.
All entries will be acknowledged by email to the applicant, the partnership and third party endorser email provided in the application. If you do not hear from us, please email employmentandskills@lincolnshire.gov.uk.