Scottish Apprenticeship Awards Nomination entry rules
Nominations are now closed for this year's awards - thank you to everyone who voted.
Entries for the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards must be fully compliant with all entry rules on this page.
Before submitting your nominations please carefully read the general rules, key dates, category rules and privacy notice.
General rules
Entries will only be accepted for apprenticeships taking place in Scotland that are funded by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) or the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).
The awards are free to enter and organisations are eligible to enter as many categories as they wish.
A separate entry must be submitted for each individual or organisation being nominated.
Individuals or organisations can only be nominated once within each category – additional entries for the same individual or organisation within a single category will not be accepted.
Nomination entries will only be accepted via the Apprenticeships.scot online system.
Entries cannot be amended after they have been submitted or after the closing date for applications has passed.
Nominations that do not meet the entry rules, that contain incorrect information or that are entered in an incorrect level or category will be disqualified automatically.
SDS reserves the right to withdraw candidates who are no longer with their employers at the time of the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards.
It is the nominator's responsibility to inform the nominee that they are submitting a nomination before they submit.
SDS will separately seek consent from shortlisted nominees regarding the collection and use of data relating to photography, filming and media.
SDS will complete a validation of all entries during this period.
The judges' decisions are final, and no correspondence or discussion will be entered into regarding the selection of finalists and winners.
In the event of any potential conflict of interest, please seek clarification in advance of submitting the entry. In the first instance, contact emma.milroy@sds.co.uk.
Key dates
The closing date for receipt of all completed applications was Wednesday 4 October 2023.
All finalists and their employers must be available between Monday 8 January 2024 and Monday 19 February 2024 for finalist filming and/or photography. This content will be used during the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards show and in event-related media activity.
Winners will be announced during Scottish Apprenticeship Week, which takes place from Monday 4 to Friday 8 March 2024.
Please now read the category rules for information on each category and the privacy notice for information on how we use data.
Category rules
Apprentice Ambassador of the Year
Nominations for Apprentice Ambassador of the Year should be completed by an employer or learning provider.
The category is only open to individuals who have completed their apprenticeship and who were certificated before 31 December 2022.
You cannot enter an individual into both Apprentice Ambassador of the Year and Apprentice of the Year categories.
The nominee’s apprenticeship must have been funded by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) or the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).
All apprentices must be employed in a role that links directly to the apprenticeship framework achieved and not self-employed.
Foundation Apprentice of the Year
Nominations for Foundation Apprentice of the Year should be completed by the Foundation Apprentice’s learning provider, a school representative or their employer.
This category is open to apprentices who will complete their Foundation Apprenticeship and achieve certification between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023.
The Foundation Apprenticeship qualification may be completed at SCQF Level 4, 5 or 6.
The Foundation Apprentice of the Year category is not open to past entrants.
Modern Apprentice of the Year – SCQF Level 5
Nominations for Modern Apprentice of the Year – SCQF Level 5 should be completed by the Modern Apprentice’s employer or learning provider.
This category is open to apprentices who will complete their Modern Apprenticeship at SCQF Level 5 and achieve certification between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023.
The Modern Apprentice of the Year SCQF Level 5 category is not open to past entrants.
All apprentices must be employed in a role that links directly to the apprenticeship framework achieved and not self-employed.
Modern Apprentice of the Year – SCQF Level 6+
Nominations for Modern Apprentice of the Year – SCQF Level 6+ should be completed by the Modern Apprentice’s employer or learning provider.
This category is open to apprentices who will complete their Modern Apprenticeship at SCQF Level 6+ and achieve certification between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023.
The Modern Apprentice of the Year SCQF Level 6+ category is not open to past entrants.
All apprentices must be employed in a role that links directly to the apprenticeship framework achieved and not self-employed.
Graduate Apprentice of the Year
Nominations for Graduate Apprentice of the Year should be completed by the Graduate Apprentice’s employer or learning provider.
The Graduate Apprentice of the Year category is open to apprentices who were registered on their course by 30 September 2022 and who are currently employed and working towards their Graduate Apprenticeship qualification, or who have successfully completed their Graduate Apprenticeship.
The Graduate Apprentice of the Year category is not open to past entrants.
Current Graduate Apprentices should be fully registered with a university delivery partner and with Skills Development Scotland.
Current Graduate Apprentices should be fully up to date with all university academic study and be on track to gain their qualification (the university academic mentor or employer workplace mentor should have no concerns regarding an individual's progress).
All apprentices must be employed in a role that links directly to the apprenticeship framework achieved and not self-employed.
SME Employer of the Year
Nominations for SME Employer of the Year should be completed by an employer, or a learning provider working in partnership with the employer they are nominating.
The SME Employer of the Year category is only open to apprentice employers, including public sector, with fewer than 250 employees.
Nominations in this category must be for an organisation and not a department or team within an organisation.
Large Employer of the Year
Nominations for Large Employer of the Year should be completed by an employer, or a learning provider working in partnership with the employer they are nominating.
The Large Employer of the Year category is only open to apprentice employers, including public sector, with 250 or more employees.
Nominations in this category must be for an organisation and not a department or team within an organisation.
Apprentice Instructor of the Year
Nominations for Apprentice Instructor of the Year should be completed by an employer or learning provider.
Supporting Net Zero Apprentice of the Year
Nominations for Supporting Net Zero Apprentice of the Year should be completed by the apprentice’s employer or learning provider.
This category is open to individuals who are currently completing an apprenticeship and working towards their qualification, or will be certified between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023.
All apprentices must be employed in a role that links directly to the apprenticeship framework achieved and not self-employed.
Privacy notice
Please note the data you're submitting with your entry will be held securely by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) for 12 months.
We'll use the data to verify the eligibility of your entry. It will also enable SDS and our event-management partners to contact you and your nominee in the lead-up to the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards with key event-related information.
We're always interested in following our apprentices' next steps after the awards. SDS may contact nominees for this purpose and to highlight opportunities to join future apprenticeship events or activities. All apprentice nominees will also be invited to join Scotland’s Apprentice Network.
The data you submit will be used solely for these purposes and only within the stated 12-month timeframe.
If you're a nominee and wish to withdraw the information provided in your nomination, please contact the SDS Data Protection Team at DPO@sds.co.uk to discuss this further.