The 2025 Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards will be held at Blenheim Palace.

It comes after the success of this year's awards at Williams Racing’s Experience Centre in Grove, where hundreds of apprenticeship champions were recognised for their excellence.

The awards have been a staple in the county’s business calendar for more than eight years, celebrating the achievements of individuals, businesses, and training providers in the apprenticeship sector.

The 2025 awards will take place in the Long Library at UNSECO World Heritage site Blenheim Palace.

The palace has a 10-year plan to employ 100 apprentices across the estate and development partner Pye Homes.

(L-R) Sarah Marlow from OxLEP, Ryan Harris from headline sponsor The Hill Group, Sarah Jaycock from committee member High Spec Composites, Simon Newton from committee member Darke & Taylor, and Tiffany Hickman, people apprentice at Blenheim(L-R) Sarah Marlow from OxLEP, Ryan Harris from headline sponsor The Hill Group, Sarah Jaycock from committee member High Spec Composites, Simon Newton from committee member Darke & Taylor, and Tiffany Hickman, people apprentice at Blenheim (Image: OxLEP) It has been a long-time supporter of the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards and has had 30 apprentices nominated for awards since 2017.

In 2022, Blenheim was highly commended in the Apprenticeship Employer of the Year Award (250+ employees) category.

The 2025 awards aim to highlight the opportunities apprenticeship schemes can bring to young people and those looking to re-engage with employment opportunities.

They are organised by the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership Skills Team on a not-for-profit basis.

Nigel Tipple, chief executive at OxLEP, said: "Since its inception in 2017, the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards have provided a significant platform to highlight the importance of apprenticeships within the Oxfordshire economy and its wider labour market.

"We are particularly excited to announce that the 2025 awards will be held at such a prestigious location.

"It is through working with partners around the county, including Blenheim, alongside our wider supporters and sponsors, we hope to continue convening and celebrating apprenticeship success for many years to come.”

He added: “OxLEP Skills work tirelessly day-to-day to support apprenticeships – with a team of dedicated Oxfordshire apprenticeship advisors in place to support employers to take on apprentices, upskill their existing teams, or pledge unspent apprenticeship levy, through our ‘Apprenticeship Levy Pledge’ initiative.

“We understand however that supporting apprenticeships goes far beyond those initial stages, and the awards are a key way in which we in Oxfordshire can celebrate the outstanding work going on surrounding apprenticeships in the county every day.

Megan Carter, people director at Blenheim, said: "We are thrilled to host the prestigious Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards here at Blenheim - a celebration of exceptional talent across the county.

"This aligns with our ambitious 10-year goal to complete 100 apprenticeships by 2027, showcasing our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“Our apprentices, spanning all ages, backgrounds and career paths - from heritage preservation to catering - are a testament to our dedication to developing skills, nurturing talent, and securing the future of our World Heritage Site.”