A stellar line-up of finalists has been revealed for the 2025 Shropshire Telford & Wrekin Apprenticeship Awards – and tickets for the October 2 awards night are selling fast.

The event celebrates the brightest apprentices in the area, as well as recognising employers for their support of apprenticeship programmes.

Tickets are now on sale for the awards night, at the Mercure Telford Centre Hotel, which includes a drinks reception, three-course meal, and post-event entertainment.

All the details – plus a full list of finalists – are at stwaa.co.uk

Housing Plus Group and Ricoh UK Products – both from Telford - and SJ Roberts Construction from Marton are shortlisted in the large employer category.

The medium sized employer finalists are Pave Aways from Knockin, Shingler Group of Myddle, and Iconsys from Telford.

In the small employer category, the three finalists are CQS Solutions and Purple Frog Systems, both from Telford, and Start Tech from Shrewsbury.

Finalists in the individual categories come from all corners of the county. Categories include construction and civil engineering, health & social care, engineering & manufacturing, IT & digital industries, early years and education, creative & media, and business legal & finance.

In addition to the individual and employer categories, an overall star apprentice for both the Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin areas will also be crowned on the night.

The competition is backed by some of the county’s biggest and best names, led by headline sponsor Telford College, and supported by the Marches Careers Hub.

Other category sponsors include In-Comm Training Services, J&PR, Keele University, McPhillips, Pave Aways, Purple Frog Systems, SBC Training, Shrewsbury Colleges Group, WR Partners and ANTA Education.

The media partner for the event is Shropshire Business Live TV which will be filming and streaming the awards presentations.

Shropshire Business magazine editor Carl Jones who is compering the event, said: “The quality and volume of entries once again surpassed all expectations, and the judges faced a very difficult task narrowing down each category to three finalists – let alone choosing their winners.

“We’re delighted with the response to the awards in this second year, and are now really looking forward to another fantastic awards evening. It’s going to be a fabulous celebration of the brightest and best apprentices in the county, as well as the businesses which go the extra mile to support the next generation of skilled staff.”