Apprentices and employers from Suffolk have been named among the winners of the East of England regional final of the National Apprenticeship Awards 2015.

Now in their 12th year, the National Apprenticeship Awards celebrate the success of the country’s most exceptional apprentices and apprenticeship employers, and challenge them to come forward and show how apprenticeships have made a real difference to their organisation and careers.

The East of England winners and highly commended entries were announced at an awards ceremony held recently at the Rowley Mile Conference Centre at Newmarket Racecourse.

This year’s Suffolk-based winners for the East of England included Daniel Swain from Delphi Diesel Systems in Sudbury, who picked up the EAL Award for Advanced Apprentice of the Year and Bury St Edmunds-based brewer Greene King who was handed the BT Award for Macro Employer of the Year.

In addition, Suffolk Canine Creche Limited in Ipswich received the Unilever Small Employer of the Year award.

Among the other entries from Suffolk was Liam Bartle from Clarity Travel Management in Bury St Edmunds who was highly commended in the McDonald’s Award for Intermediate Apprentice of the Year. Chloe Lakey of British Telecom in Ipswichwas also highly commended in the Nuclear Decommissioning Site Licence Companies Award for the Higher Apprentice of the Year.

Director of the National Apprenticeship Service, Sue Husband, said: “The winners are the best of the best in the East of England and I would like to congratulate them on their achievements. They deserve to be rewarded for their efforts. There has never been a better time to become an apprentice or employ one.”

Following the regional ceremonies, the winners from each category in all 11 areas of England will have their entries sent for national judging, and three from each category will be selected as national finalists. The national award winners and Top 100 Employers will be revealed at a ceremony due to held in January 2016 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.