National Maritime Apprenticeship Awards Nominations Will Celebrate Young Talent

UK – Maritime UK has launched its National Apprenticeship Awards, designed to shine a spotlight on how the sector supports talent development. The awards will recognise and celebrate quality maritime employers and the individuals who have chosen to build a career in the sector. In the inaugural year, the winners will be announced as part of the Mersey Maritime Industry Awards, being held during London International Shipping Week in September.

Maritime UK says that the awards are an opportunity for the sector to come together to celebrate its commitment to finding the right people to feed its pipeline of talent as identified in the Maritime 2050: people route map.

Maritime UK is calling on companies and organisations across the sector to submit nominations for both an apprenticeship scheme and individual apprentices. By doing so, the sector will share the positive messages about the maritime industries and raise awareness amongst young people and job seekers who are investigating their own career opportunities.

Schemes embracing all functions within the sector – from engineering to marketing – are eligible for nomination. Maritime UK’s Chief Executive, Ben Murray, said:

“We’re incredibly excited to announce details of our first Maritime UK Apprenticeship Awards. The awards will see the whole sector celebrating the rich talent we have in our people pipeline, and by raising awareness, will encourage more people to seek a rewarding career in maritime. Public appreciation of apprenticeships is growing, and we need to make sure that people look to maritime to fulfil their career ambitions.”

The Maritime UK Apprentice of the Year is a national award open to apprentices currently on programme or those who have completed their apprenticeship in 2021. Nominations will be made by their employer and will demonstrate distance travelled by the individual, the skills learned and the impact this individual has had on the organisation. This category is for apprentices employed in the sector, regardless of which apprenticeship pathway they are on. All nominees will be invited to a face-to-face interview.

The Maritime UK Apprentice Employer of the Year award is open to maritime sector employers of all sizes in the UK who invest in apprenticeships and use them as part of their people pipeline strategy. Companies entering this award will be able to demonstrate their long-term commitment to apprenticeships, and how apprentices have progressed in their organisation on completion of their training. They will also be able to demonstrate inclusion and diversity in their programmes and will have current apprentices on their payroll at the time of submitting their entry. Lorna Wagner, Maritime UK Programme Manager (Careers and Outreach), said:

“With the sector expected to double in size to £3 trillion by 2030, we need the next generation of innovators and problem solvers to join the industry and help shape the future of the world we live in. We are using these Maritime UK Apprenticeship Awards as an opportunity to focus on the good news stories about the sector and the talent within as well as and the myriad of varied, exciting and satisfying career pathways on offer.”

London International Shipping Week is being held from 13-17 September 2021. The Mersey Maritime Industry Awards are being held on Friday 17th September.

Photo: BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin hosting the 2020 Mersey Maritime Industry Awards in their sixth year.