NTU's annual Apprenticeship Awards seeks to highlight and celebrate the excellent work and achievements of apprentices studying at NTU.
As well as apprentices, the awards shine a light on both employers and mentors, without whom an apprenticeship wouldn't be possible.
The 2026 awards saw the highest amount of nominations since the awards started in 2019, with the quality of submissions being at an all-time high also.
Over the duration of the awards ceremony, seven apprentice awards are given out, including the prestigious NTU Apprentice of the Year award, as well as six employer awards.
David Drury, Degree Apprenticeship Manager, Employer Engagement commented. "this year's NTU Apprenticeship Awards has been the most competitive awards with the highest number of nominations we've ever received. All the finalists should be incredibly proud of themselves and all they've achieved."
The awards opened to submissions in November 2025 and are anonymously reviewed and scored by an external judging panel who shortlisted the finalists.
The finalists were then announced in February 2026 during National Apprenticeship Week, the judges then score the finalists' nominations again to determine the winners.
2026 Apprentice Award Winners
These are the winners of the 2026 Apprentice Award categories.
Apprentice of the Year Winner 2026 - Denis Popescu
NTU Apprentice of the Year:
Denis Popescu, Marley Ltd
Outstanding Apprentice of the Year:
Construction & Engineering
Denis Popescu, Marley Ltd
Outstanding Apprentice of the Year:
Financial, Legal & Business Services
Gemma Marsh, Longwood Maven
Outstanding Apprentice of the Year: Health, Education & Care Winner 2026 - Antonio Palinczuk
Outstanding Apprentice of the Year:
Food, Manufacturing & Service Industries
Laura Hetherington, Bells of Lazonby
Outstanding Apprentice of the Year:
Health, Education & Care
Antonio Palinczuk, Nottingham University Hospitals Trust
First Year Apprentice of the Year winner 2026 - Laura Hetherington
Outstanding Apprentice of the Year: Public Services
Daniel Harrison-Buckley, Nottingham Trent University
First Year Apprentice of the Year
Laura Hetherington, Bells of Lazonby
Employer Awards Winners
These are the winners of our Employer Award categories.
2026 Apprentice Mentor of the Year, Anna Scothern
Equality & Diversity Award
E.ON
Apprentice Mentor of the Year
Anna Scothern, Longwood Maven
Apprentice Employer of the Year: Small Enterprise
Oliver Law Security Ltd (OLS Ltd)
2026 NTU Apprenticeship Awards ceremony
Apprentice Employer of the Year: Medium Enterprise
Minster FB
Apprentice Employer of the Year: Large Enterprise
Greencore
Congratulations to all winners
We would like to thank our judging panel who work hard to read, review and score every single application made.
- Alison Cox, Head of Partner Engagement & Apprenticeships, Chartered Management Institute
- Anne Wright, Managing Director, Workpays
- Jagdeep Soor, Managing Director, Queen Alexandra Charity
- Louise Cairns, CEO, The National Skills Academy for Food & Drink
- Lucy Grierson, Partnerships, Projects and Communications Manager, NHS Charities Together
- Nick Ebbs, Chair of the Nottingham Growth Board
- Simeon Powell, Executive Coach, Babington
- Penny Guard, Learning & Development Manager, Nottingham Alliance Training Hub
- Steve White, Digital and Business Transformation Manager, Nottingham City GP Alliance