Four employers who have put apprenticeships at the heart of their businesses were rewarded at a London ceremony last week.

Entrants for the four employer award categories at the Apprenticeship Awards were judged on looked at commitment to training, the range and diversity of apprenticeships on offer, the future training of their apprentices and demonstration of the way apprenticeships have benefited their business.

Medium employer of the year (50 – 249 employees) was awarded to engineering company Slack & Parr Ltd of Derby for the second year running, while small employer of the year (10 – 49 employees) went to Farthings Veterinary Group in Horsham and Blue Flame Engineering Ltd, Stockport won micro employer of the year (1 – 9 employees).

BT was named large employer of the year, having 862 apprentices within its 99,000 strong workforce, and a campaign underway to increase this number to 1,364 by September 2007.

Dave Walsh, head of BT apprenticeships said of the win: "It's recognition of all the work we have invested in apprenticeships and a real team effort. Apprenticeships are a fabulous opportunity for individuals to come in and develop their life, academic and technical skills.”

Stephen Gardner, Director of Apprenticeships at the Learning and Skills Council paid tribute to the four winners: “The commitment and foresight of all these exceptional employers is tremendous, not only in improving their business performance but also in giving talented young people the opportunity to achieve their goals.”