National Apprenticeship Week is taking place 9 – 15 February.
The week involves the announcement of the winners of our Apprenticeship Champion Awards. These annual awards celebrate excellence across our apprenticeship community – recognising exceptional apprentices, dedicated supervisors and supportive employers who go above and beyond.
NAW Day 1
Our first winner of the week is Julie Grundhill who is our Level 2/3 Apprentice Champion of 2026. She is a business admin apprentice at Great Western Hospitals NHS Trust. Julie has implemented a number of projects during her apprenticeship which are already having a significant impact on the Trust, including:
- Her bereavement card project – an initiative which brings comfort to families and gives staff a meaningful way to support relatives
- Co-ordination of a palliative education programme leading to improved staff knowledge and confidence and, ultimately, enhanced patient care.
Lorraine Hart, Julie’s supervisor who nominated her for the award, described Julie as “our anchor who consistently exceeds expectations”.
NAW Day 2
On Tuesday, we were delighted to present Clarity Business Travel with their winner’s trophy in the Large Employer category of our Damar Apprenticeship Champion Awards.
What made Clarity’s nomination stand out is breadth of apprenticeship opportunities they offer within their business and the support they provide for apprentices at every stage of the journey – from ‘commitment calls’, to monthly feedback checks, to celebrating completions. The award is well-deserved recognition of a team that has embedded apprenticeships into their culture, making them a genuine pathway to career transformation while bridging critical skills gaps across the business.
We also visited WBW Solicitors to present apprentice, Nicola Williams, with her prize in the Coach-Nominated Apprentice Champion category.
When Nicola decided to transition from teaching into law, she powered through her paralegal apprenticeship, mastering complex legal cases with professionalism and skill. Now embarking on a solicitor apprenticeship, Nicola’s journey proves what apprentices can achieve: career transformation and the development of professionals who bring technical excellence, resilience and compassion to everything they do.
Grant Harrower, from our business development team, and Sarah Barnes, one of our Lead Coaches also hosted a webinar for apprentice supervisors and line managers in the NHS. They outlined a range of great resources, hints and tips that supervisors can use with their apprentices, as well as highlighting the impact that apprentices have within NHS Trusts.
NAW Day 3
On Wednesday, we announced the winner of the Supervisor category in our awards – Amy Sildatki at RF Miller & Co.
Amy was nominated by her apprentice, Keira Allinson, who said: “From the very beginning, she has gone far beyond the expectations of a supervisor, offering reassurance, clear explanations and an unwavering belief in my potential.” But Amy’s influence extends even further. She champions apprenticeships across the entire organisation, helping colleagues understand their value and supporting other supervisors in developing their own mentoring approaches.
Our MD, Jonathan Bourne, also presented our Level 4-7 Apprenticeship Champion Award to Jodie McCaul at Wickes.
Jodie’s journey through her data protection and information governance apprenticeship has been inspirational. Initially lacking confidence, she has evolved into a composed, authoritative professional. And her impact at Wickes now extends far beyond compliance. She has actively improved organisational culture, suggested new ways of working and strengthened the company’s resilience.
Jodie was nominated for the award by her line manager, Ryan Leader, who said: “Jodie is an incredibly valued member of our team and watching her develop as her line manager has been a pleasure.”
NAW Day 4
On Thursday, we presented to our second joint winner of the Coach-Nominated Apprentice category – Abby Jones at Clarity Business Travel.
Abby, a team leader apprentice, has demonstrated exceptional commitment and courage throughout her journey. She didn’t just excel in her apprenticeship work, she overcame significant challenges without losing sight of her goals. And the impact she has had at Clarity Business Travel is remarkable, elevating the customer team service into a strategic driver of excellence.
Abby was nominated by the team at Clarity and by her Damar coach, Julie Jerath, for her resilience, dedication and determination.
We also held our second webinar for NHS staff, this time focusing on individuals interested in non-clinical apprenticeships for themselves. If you’d like a copy of the recording or to speak to us about apprenticeships for NHS staff, please contact grant.harrower@damartraining.com.
And our final award for the week was for our Small Employer Apprenticeship Champions – Sutherland & Co Law Solicitors.
Since 2018, they have supported 12 apprentices, with seven still thriving within the firm.
What made their nomination stand out was how apprenticeships are woven into their culture. Starting as business admin apprentices, their team members have progressed into paralegals, team leaders and even solicitor apprentices. They have built a structured programme that combines expert external training with hands-on mentorship, ensuring apprentices develop the skills to deliver the high-quality legal services that their clients expect.
NAW Day 5
On the last weekday of National Apprenticeship Week, we wanted to celebrate not just what apprenticeships do for apprentices, but what apprentices do for all of us.
We posted a video from our MD, Jonathan Bourne asking supervisors, line managers, HR / L&D leads, senior leaders and the Damar Training team to share what impact an apprentice has had on them.
Take a look and share your thoughts on our LinkedIn post.
Thank you
Finally, a big thank you to the employers, apprentices and colleagues who submitted nominations for our awards – and congratulations to all of the winners.
We would also like to thank all of the employer partners we visited this week for the opportunity to meet with you and your apprentices.
If you’d like to find out how Damar could support you and your organisation to make an impact and achieve great success, get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.