Greater Lincolnshire Apprenticeship and Skills Awards 2026

Lincolnshire County Council, North Lincolnshire Council, North East Lincolnshire Council and the Lincolnshire Public Service Compact are delighted to be working in partnership to host the Greater Lincolnshire Apprenticeship and Skills Awards 2026.

The deadline for making an application is 5pm, Thursday 2 April, 2026.

The four categories for entries are:

Award winners will need to demonstrate commitment, excellence in skills development and a clear drive to support both professional and personal success and growth through apprenticeships and skills programmes.

The winning champions will be announced on Wednesday 10 June, 2026 4pm to 6pm at The Drill, Unit 1 Free School Lane, Lincoln LN2 1EY.

All shortlisted applicants will receive a Highly Commended Certificate to acknowledge their achievements.

The Skills Partnership and Apprentice Employer of the Year awards can be completed by a third party with the consent of the nominee. Entries for both these categories will require a third party endorsement to support the application.

Key dates:

Deadline for completed application forms: 5pm Thursday 2 April 2026
Shortlisting and final judging: 6 April to 24 April 2026
Decisions communicated by email to applicants: Monday 4 May 2026
Awards Ceremony: Wednesday 10 June 2026

Queries with regards to the Greater Lincolnshire Apprenticeship and Skills Awards 2026 should be directed to employmentandskills@lincolnshire.gov.uk.

Greater Lincolnshire Apprentice of the Year Award

What makes a winner?

The Greater Lincolnshire Apprentice of the Year Award 2026 seeks to acknowledge and celebrate apprentices’ exceptional achievements and contributions to their workplace.

Judges are looking for entrants who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to their apprenticeship, consistently gone above and beyond in their role, and shown significant personal and professional growth. In particular, judges would like to see:

Outstanding contributions to the business, such as areas or projects where the apprentice has exceeded expectations
Evidence of initiative, reliability, problem‑solving, and how they have made a meaningful impact in the workplace
Inspirational qualities both within their own work and that of others

Who should enter?

To make an application, the apprentice must live or work in Greater Lincolnshire, have started their apprenticeship before the 1 December 2025, or completed their Apprenticeship during the current academic year (August 1, 2025 to July 31 2026).

Completing the form

Applications for Greater Lincolnshire Apprentice of the Year 2026 can be made by their employer, a trainer, support worker or colleague who feels the apprentice is worthy of recognition. The nominator will complete a declaration confirming the apprentice’s consent to be considered for the award.

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 adjudication.

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 – Declaration

Please ensure that you follow the guidance notes in the application form as these will help 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 you for the contact information of the nominator, the apprentice and the apprentice’s employer details for the purposes of processing the entry and confirming eligibility for the awards. We will also ask for the details of and the apprentice’s training provider.

Section Two – Background Information

You are asked to provide the judges with information about the apprentice job role, the name of the apprenticeship they are completing and level, their start and completion date. You will also be asked to supply information about their employer, the sector they operate in and what the business does. This section will not be scored but will give the judges some background to help them assess the entry.

Section Three - Application

Please answer all questions as fully as possible and please ensure that you include evidence such as quotes from clients, colleagues, statistics, comparative data of key performance indicators or measures , etc. Remember the judges will be looking for evidence of achievement, commitment, and business benefits as a result of the apprentice’s contribution.

Question 1 – Please tell us about the apprentice’s starting point (25%)

In this section, we would like to hear about the apprentice’s prior qualifications, what skills and experience they had before starting the apprenticeship. You could also include information on any barriers to learning and work that the apprentice may have experienced, for example if they are a care leaver, have a disability or health condition or caring responsibilities. (Max 2,500 characters)

Question 2 – Describe how the apprentice has developed during their apprenticeship and their contribution to the business (25%)

In this question, the judges will be looking for evidence of the impact that the apprenticeship has had on the apprentice both professionally and personally. You could talk about specific achievements within the workplace as a result of the apprenticeship, or how their skills, knowledge and behaviours have been developed such as their confidence, communication or teamwork. You could also talk about how the apprentice has addressed any challenges that they have faced and how they have overcome these. (Max 2,500 characters)

Question 3 – Please detail the ways in which this apprentice has contributed to the success of the organisation they work for or the direct impact that they have had on colleagues or operations (25%)

For this question you may like to explain specific key performance indicators or targets they have achieved or helped the team to achieve. You may also want to mention projects they have worked on and how they support colleagues to achieve organisational goals. (Max 2,500 characters)

Question 4 – Why do you think that this candidate should be considered for the Greater Lincolnshire Apprentice of the Year 2026? (25%)

For this answer you may like to outline the aspects of the apprentice’s performance that you consider to be exceptional and above expectations. This could include the opportunities that they have embraced to develop and progress, and any barriers that they have overcome. You may want to mention specific examples of where they have gone above and beyond expectations in their role, making a significant contribution to their organisation. (Max 2,500 characters)

Declaration

You will need to confirm that the information provided is true to the best of your knowledge.

You will be asked to confirm that you have gained the apprentice’s consent to be considered for Greater Lincolnshire Apprentice of the Year 2026 confirming in the declaration that the apprentice is happy to participate in publicity activity related to the Awards. Your declaration will confirm that you are happy for the information provided to be used with publicity material for the awards.

All parties will receive confirmation of the application.

Help with your application

If you require any help with your application, please contact 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 nominee, apprentice and learning provider email provided in the application. If you do not hear from us, please email employmentandskills@lincolnshire.gov.uk.

Apprentice Employer of the Year Award

What makes a winner?

The Greater Lincolnshire Apprentice Employer of the Year Award 2026 seeks to acknowledge and celebrate employers’ commitment to the development of their staff through apprenticeships.

Nominations should explain how the employer demonstrates exceptional commitment to apprenticeships by providing high‑quality support, meaningful training, and clear development opportunities. The employer demonstrates how they create a positive and inclusive environment for apprentices, work effectively with partners or training providers, and make a genuine impact on apprentice progression, confidence, and skills both within their own organisation and the wider community.

In particular the judges are looking for:

Clear partnership working with their training provider/s
How the employer provides meaningful development opportunities to support apprenticeship achievement
How the employer provides and supports opportunities for apprentices to progress into long term or higher level employment within the business

Who should enter?

To make an application, the employer must employ apprentices who live or work in Greater Lincolnshire, have started their apprenticeship before the 1 December 2025, or completed their Apprenticeship during the current academic year (August 1, 2025 to July 31 2026).

Completing the form

Applications for Greater Lincolnshire Apprentice Employer of the Year 2026 can be made by the organisation wishing to be considered for an award, or by another external stakeholder who wishes to nominate the employer.

You will be asked to supply a third-party endorsement to support your application, for example the training provider. 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 the primary contact for the entry and for publicity purposes. We will ask if you are an employee of the organisation that is being nominated or not. If not, there will be further contact information to complete on the following page. We will use this information to confirm eligibility of your business to be included in consideration for the awards.

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 employer details and registered company address.

Section Two – Employer Background Information

You are asked to provide the judges with information about the organisation you are nominating, its size, the sector it operates in, the number of apprentices that it employs. We will also ask for information on the apprenticeship standards that are undertaken at this organisation and for a brief overview of the organisation’s operations in Greater Lincolnshire.

Please note, this section will not be scored, but will help the judges to assess the nomination.

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 achievement, commitment, business benefits from skills investment and best practice/transferability.

Question 1 – Explain the organisation's approach to apprenticeships within the organisation in Greater Lincolnshire (25%)

In this question, the judges will be looking to understand the organisation’s rationale for employing apprentices. You could describe the way apprenticeship standards are selected and embedded within the organisation to support business and staff development, recruitment or to support succession planning. (Max 2,500 characters)

Question 2 - Describe the benefits that apprenticeships have brought to the organisation and their apprentices in Greater Lincolnshire (25%)

The judges will be looking for evidence of how the business and/or apprentices have benefited from apprenticeships. This may include specific examples of how they support apprentices with career progression, promotion and overcoming barriers to learning and work. For benefits to the organisation, you could consider examples of the benefits gained as a result e.g., business growth and improved retention of specialist and skilled staff. (Max 2,500 characters)

Question 3 – Explain what makes this Greater Lincolnshire apprenticeship programme outstanding, and how it helps more people take part (25%)

You could detail the opportunities available within the organisation for apprentices to develop skills, knowledge and experience and to progress within the organistion or sector, and contribute to the locality in which the organisation is based. You could also detail the ways in which the organistaion supports individual apprentices to achieve and overcome barriers. (Max 2,500 characters)

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 to be nominated for Employer of the Year Award 2026.

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.

Section Four – Third Party Endorsement

This question asks for a third-party endorsement to support your application for consideration as Greater Lincolnshire Apprentice Employer of the Year Award 2026. The third-party endorsement should come from a representative of an organisation who has a professional relationship with the nominated employer, for example a training provider or supply chain business. An individual can nominate the organisation; if this is an apprentice employed within the organisation they must have been on programme since 1st 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.

Endorsement question – Why do you think that this employer should be considered for the Greater Lincolnshire Apprentice Employer of the Year Award 2026 (25%)?

In your answer, your endorser should outline the aspects of the employer’s approach to Greater Lincolnshire apprenticeships that you consider to be exceptional. This could include the opportunities that the employer makes available for apprentice development and progression, systems adopted to support apprentices overcome barriers and specific examples of where the employer has gone above and beyond to support apprentices. You could also discuss the impact that apprenticeships have had on business growth and productivity, the contribution to addressing skills gaps or staff retention. (Max 2,500 characters)

Declaration

For both applicants and endorsers, you will need to confirm that the information provided is true to the best of your knowledge.

An authorised member of staff will give consent for your organisation to be considered for Greater Lincolnshire Apprentice Employer of the Year Award 2026 confirming in the declaration that they agree to the nomination and are happy to participate in publicity activity related to the Awards.

The endorser will be asked to confirm that they support the employer’s application to be considered for Greater Lincolnshire Apprentice Employer of the Year Award 2026, and that they are happy for the information provided to be used with publicity material for the awards.

All parties will receive confirmation of the application.

Help with your application

If you require any help with your application, please email employmentandskills@lincolnshire.gov.uk

Conditions of entry

All entries will be acknowledged by email to the applicant and third party endorser email provided in the application. If you do not hear from us, please email employmentandskills@lincolnshire.gov.uk.

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.

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

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.

Rising Star Award

What makes a winner?

The Greater Lincolnshire Rising Star Award 2026 celebrates a learner who has shown exceptional promise early in their workplace learning journey. This award recognises individuals who have demonstrated remarkable growth, commitment and potential, going above and beyond what is expected at their stage of development.

This award is not just about final outcomes, but about progress, potential and the impact they are already making. The Rising Star is someone who inspires those around them and represents the very best of what skills development can achieve.

We are particularly looking forward to reading nominations for learners who have/or are participating in Skills Boot Camps, but this award is not solely exclusive to this group.

Judges are looking for nominees who have shown exceptional promise early on in their career journey, long before they reach the final stages of a programme. In particular the judges would like to see:

Outstanding contributions to the business, such as areas or projects where the individual has exceeded expectations at this stage in their learning programme.
Evidence of initiative, reliability, problem‑solving, that goes above and beyond what is expected at this point.
Individuals who stand out and motivate those around them, who have a clear potential for future progression.

Who should enter?

To make an application, the nominee must live or work in Greater Lincolnshire, have started their learning programme before the 1 December 2025, or completed their programme during the current academic year (August 1, 2025 to July 31 2026).

Completing the form

Applications for Greater Lincolnshire Rising Star Award 2026 can be made by their employer, a trainer, support worker or colleague who feels the individual is worthy of recognition. The nominator will complete a declaration confirming the individual’s consent to be considered for this award.

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 adjudication.

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 – Declaration

Section One – Contact Information

In this section, we will ask you for the contact information of the nominator, the learner’s employer details for the purposes of processing the entry and confirming eligibility for the awards. We will also ask for the details of and the apprentice’s training provider.

Section Two – Background Information

You are asked to provide the judges with information about the learner’s job role, how long they have been in post and any relevant background about their learning journey so far. This section will not be scored but will give the judges some background to help them assess the entry.

Section Three - Application

Please answer all questions as fully as possible and please ensure that you include evidence such as quotes from clients, colleagues, statistics, comparative data of key performance indicators or measures , etc. Remember the judges will be looking for evidence of exceptional progression, achievement and commitment, and business benefits as a result of the learner’s contribution.

Question 1 – How has the learner demonstrated exceptional progress or development since beginning their apprenticeship, learning or skills programme? (25%)

In this section, please provide specific examples of their personal and professional growth and achievements or challenges they have overcome, which you consider to be over and above the ‘norm’ for this stage in their employment. (Max 2,500 characters)

Question 2 – In what ways has the learner shown above and beyond commitment to their learning and personal development? How do they demonstrate the organisation’s values or demonstrate outstanding professional behaviour? (25%)

In this section you may want to include examples of initiative, resilience, motivation or willingness to learn over and above the expectations. (Max 2,500 characters)

Question 3 – What positive impact has the learner already made within their team or organisation? Has the learner brought new ideas, improvements or a creative approach to their role? (25%)

For this question you could include examples of contribution to projects, improvements to processes, supporting colleagues or exceptional performance in their role to date. (Max 2,500 characters)

Question 4 – Why do you believe this candidate is a Rising Star? (25%)

For this answer you may like to outline the aspects of the apprentice’s performance that you consider to be exceptional and above expectations. You might want to describe their potential for future success, leadership or continued development and contribution to the business. (Max 2,500 characters)

Declaration

You will need to confirm that the information provided is true to the best of your knowledge.

You will be asked to confirm that you have gained the nominee’s consent to be considered for Greater Lincolnshire Rising Star Award 2026 confirming in the declaration that the apprentice is happy to participate in publicity activity related to the Awards. Your declaration will confirm that you are happy for the information provided to be used with publicity material for the awards.

All parties will receive confirmation of the application.

Help with your application

If you require any help with your application, please contact email employmentandskills@lincolnshire.gov.uk.