APPRENTICES, employers and schools will be celebrated for their contribution to the county.

Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards are set to take place next year for the second time, and hopefuls have just days left to put themselves forward.

The awards highlight the work of schools, training providers, employers and apprentices who have championed the apprenticeship career route.

Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP), one of many sponsors of the awards, plugged the event as a way to recognise ‘exemplary work’.

The organisation’s chief executive Nigel Tipple said: “Apprenticeships offer young people the fantastic opportunity to earn whilst they learn.

“For businesses it is a superb way of attracting fresh, new talent which may otherwise be lost to competitors.

“As a county we need to invest in skills to ensure we are equipped to maximise economic opportunities and continue to attract business to the county.”

The ceremony will be held on March 1 at Blenheim Palace.

This year at the inaugural event, legal services apprentice Chloe Penniston was named apprentice of the year.

To enter the awards visit oxfordshireapprenticeships.co.uk. Entries close at midnight on Friday, December 1.