Luton Borough Council

03/03/2025 - Apprentices in Luton celebrated at awards ceremony

The first ever Luton Apprenticeship Awards was held to recognise and celebrate the achievements of Luton’s apprentices, as well as the employers and training providers supporting them.

The ceremony was held on Wednesday 26 February at Putteridge Bury and was hosted by Gerard McCleave, Corporate Director for Inclusive Growth at Luton Council. Attendees included the Vice Lord-Lieutenant Chris Sharwood-Smith MBE DL, High Sheriff of Bedfordshire Bav Shah, and MP Rachel Hopkins.

All nominations were reviewed by an independent judging panel with representatives from the event sponsors. The panel selected the winners and highly commended in each category.

The ‘Apprentice of the Year’, was awarded to Tamara Crocker of TUI UK Ltd.

Councillor Javeria Hussain, Portfolio Holder for Skills and Employability, said: “It was really inspiring to see what has been achieved by our apprentices and I was blown away by the talent and passion of the nominees and winners.

“The ceremony demonstrated how valuable apprenticeships are in the town; in addition to being beneficial to employers, they are also an excellent way for apprentices to earn while they learn and gain nationally recognised qualifications.

“I’m also grateful to the huge range of employers and training providers we have that support apprenticeships right across the board. I encourage anybody looking to increase their skillset and progress their career to take advantage of the many apprenticeships the town has to offer.”

Full list of winners

Winner of Apprentice of the Year – Tamara Crocker, TUI UK Ltd
Winner of Rising Star – Thomas Dadswell, TUI (First Choice)
Winner of Community Impact – Kaval Hussain, Keech Hospice
Winner of Second Career – Rajendranath Busawon, Luton Adult Learning
Winner of Young Apprentice – Daisy Brown, Stellantis (Vauxhall)
Winner of Women in Stem – Millie Henry, TUI Airline
Winner of Contribution to Sustainability – Eleanor Shepard, TUI UK Ltd
Winner of Large Employer – TUI UK&I
Winner of Small Employer – Neville Trust Ltd
Winner of Innovation/Mentor of the Year – Carley Fisher, TUI UK&I
Winner of Apprentice Provider – Luton Adult Learning, Luton Council
Special Recognition – Tom Knight, TUI and Ellen Goodwin-Hyde, Pixie Red

Thanks to our sponsors of the awards: Barnfield College, Bread and Butter Creative Ltd, Central Bedfordshire College, Chamber Business, Luton North Rotary Club, Oaklands College, Ryebridge Construction, TUI, University of Bedfordshire and Volker Highways.

To find out more about Luton apprenticeships and the opportunity for Apprenticeship Levy Transfer to fund the training costs of an apprenticeship, please contact [email protected].