Business needs education and education needs business, and two exciting awards evenings will be happening side by side this year in recognition of the growing relationship between the two sectors in Northamptonshire.
The Northamptonshire Business Excellence Awards, which this year will be hosted by former newsreader and journalist Sir Trevor McDonald, will take place at the Northamptonshire County Cricket Ground on November 25.
The following evening, at the same venue, the stars of the county’s education sector will get their moment in the spotlight at the Northamptonshire Education Awards.
Entries are now open for both awards – visit www.allthingsbusiness.co.uk/awards for details of how to enter – and it is hoped that the celebrations will be truly memorable after a year of disruption due to the pandemic.
Both of the 2020 awards events, organised by All Things Business, were eventually held online in February this year, and although the format proved incredibly successful, everyone is keen to be able to gather together once again to celebrate the occasion in style.
Ben Thomas, from All Things Business, said: “Firstly, we are very excited because it looks very likely that live events will be back up and running by then, and we can’t wait to bring everyone back together.
“Secondly, we decided to hold the two events in the same week in November because it reflects our commitment to facilitating partnerships between education and business. We founded the Northamptonshire Schools & Business Alliance because it’s clear that businesses can’t survive if they don’t support the education system in producing the skilled workforces of tomorrow.
“Our youngsters need to be prepared for the world of work as it will be when they get to that stage. Figures show that 80% of children starting education now will go on to do a job that doesn’t exist yet, and we need a system that sets them up to succeed, with transferable skills and ones that are relevant to business needs.
“Similarly, businesses have to be ready to help by supporting young people with work experience, placements and involvement in the curriculum so that, over time, they ensure workers with the skills they need are coming on to the job market.”
The Northamptonshire Business Excellence Awards comprises 12 categories including Apprentice of the Year, Land & Development Award, Employer of the Year and Innovation Award. All entries are scored against set criteria and marked through a bespoke software system before the finalists are selected, and then reviewed by an independent panel of judges to choose a winner.
The Northamptonshire Education Awards include 11 categories that recognise the schools, departments and individuals within the county’s education sector. Awards up for grabs include Headteacher of the Year, STEM Award, School Business Manager of the Year and Primary and Secondary School of the Year, as well as an Overall School of the Year trophy.
Again, the entries are judged against a set of criteria before being put forward to a panel of judges to select a winner.
Ben Thomas added: “We launched the business awards in 2018 and the education awards in 2019 because we saw an opportunity to pay tribute to those that work so hard in both sectors and make the county the success that it is.
“We were devastated in 2020 when we couldn’t hold live awards but we refused to give up and the team pulled out all the stops to get virtual awards set up, on a fantastic online platform, that delivered two great evenings.
“That was about making things happen under the most challenging of circumstances and we delivered, but this year, we want to get back to normal and make the 2021 awards something really special after the difficulties we’ve all faced over the past year or so.”
Find out more about the Northamptonshire Business Excellence Awards at www.allthingsbusiness.co.uk/awards or call All Things Business on 01604 267677
Find out more about the Northamptonshire Education Awards at www.allthingsbusiness.co.uk/awards or call All Things Business on 01604 267677
