Award Nominations - Nominate an Organisation

• Nominations open: 17 November 2025
• Nominations close: 12 December 2025
• Shortlist announced: w/c 5 January 2026
• Winners announced: w/c 9 February 2026 (National Apprenticeship Week)

There are two categories for the Employer Champion Award:

• Small employers: Fewer than 100 employees across all sites
• Large employers: More than 100 employees across all sites.

Please select the appropriate category in the nomination form.

For the Employer Champion categories, anyone at the employer organisation – such as the apprenticeship lead or a member of the HR team – can nominate.

Our team at Damar can also submit nominations.

To be eligible for the awards, the employer must have had Damar apprentices on programme during 2025.

There is a maximum word count of 200 words per question. Please provide as much detail as possible without going over the word count.

We recommend preparing your answers in Microsoft Word and checking you’re within the word count before copying and pasting into the form. Where longer responses are submitted, judges will only consider the first 200 words for each answer.

Judges are looking for employers that are committed to the development of their staff through apprenticeships.

We recognise that many of our employers will also work with other providers and you can include information in your answers about these other apprenticeships that your organisation supports. However, the focus of your answers should be on the apprenticeships that Damar delivers with your organisation.

Describe your organisation and apprenticeship programme.

Briefly tell us about your organisation in terms of your size, number of apprentices, sector, products/services and values. You should also outline what apprenticeships you offer and how these apprenticeships fit within your approach to business growth, staff recruitment and workforce development. 

What is exceptional about your apprenticeship programme and how support your apprentices?

In this answer, you should tell us why you are an exemplary apprenticeship employer, providing tangible evidence where possible.

Your answer could include how you:

• Ensure accessibility to apprenticeships and career progression
• Provide additional development opportunities for your apprentices
• Support apprentices with specific challenges or barriers
• Support apprentice supervisors/line managers in their role
• Work in partnership with Damar. 

What benefits has your apprenticeship programme brought to individual apprentices and your organisation?

The judges will be looking for evidence of how your business and/or apprentices have benefited from apprenticeships. This may include specific examples of  individuals being recruited and developed in careers that would have been otherwise inaccessible, or individuals who have been promoted and progressed as a result of their apprenticeship. For benefits to the organisation, you could consider examples of the benefits gained as a result of your apprenticeship programmes e.g. business growth and improved retention.