On 4 February, 160 people gathered at London's Barbican Conservatory to celebrate the people shaping the future of work.
Apprentices, mentors, line managers and employers. People building new skills, changing careers, and helping their organisations adapt to a rapidly changing world.
The Makers Apprenticeship Awards exist to recognise exactly that. The apprentices developing the skills organisations need next. The mentors and line managers helping them grow. And the employers investing in learning not just for today, but for the long term.
The Results
80% of our apprentices achieved a Merit or Distinction. Achievement rates reached 84% against an industry average of 67%. Twelve years in, the numbers keep getting better.
But as Claudia Harris OBE reminded the room, the statistics only tell part of the story. What matters just as much is how people learn, collaborate, and support one another along the way.
The Stories
Faheem Kazi spent 20 years in marketing before starting again as a Software Test Engineer at the age of 46.
Ann Galloway applied for her apprenticeship with just two days left before the deadline. Today, she's building a self-check-in prototype being trialled in job centres across the UK.
Dawoud Dawoud moved from law into software development and discovered something many organisations are still learning: "The technical skill comes later. The people skills come first."
These aren't really stories about technology. They're stories about learning. About people willing to start again, adapt quickly, and build new skills in a world that's changing faster than ever.
What Employers Told Us
Google apprentices are now training colleagues with 15 and 20 years of experience on new technologies. Teams at Kraken that initially didn't want an apprentice are now asking for two. An apprentice from Holiday Extras' first cohort nine years ago is now one of the company's leading data engineers.
Apprentices bring fresh perspectives, challenge assumptions, and often become some of the strongest advocates for learning inside an organisation.
The Winners
Rising Star — Liam O'Brien, DWP Digital
Impact Award — Stan Langford-Smith, Metropolitan Police
Technical Brilliance — Ann Galloway, DWP
Mentor of the Year — Hameed Mohammed, Apple
Innovator Award — Dawoud Dawoud, DWP
Line Manager of the Year — Akash Bhatia, Google
Makers Award — Google
What Comes Next
The AI transition can't be delegated.
The organisations that get this right won't be the ones that buy the best tools. They'll be the ones that build the most fearless learners, at every level, from the boardroom to the broader team.
That's what Makers does. And tonight was proof of what's possible.
If you're ready to start that journey, we'd love to help.
