Celebrating Excellence: The 2025 Paragon Skills Apprenticeship Awards
Celebrating Excellence: The 2025 Paragon Skills Apprenticeship Awards
As part of the first ever Knovia Group Apprenticeship Awards 2025, we proudly celebrate the Paragon Skills Apprenticeship Awards 2025, honouring the exceptional achievements of apprentices and employer partners across the Care, Childcare, Dental and Professional Services sectors.
This year marks a significant milestone, with each Knovia Group brand; Paragon Skills, Shaping Lives, Tempdent, and Babington, hosting their own awards to spotlight the talent, dedication, and transformative impact of apprenticeships. Together, these celebrations recognise the vital role apprentices and employers play in shaping the future of our industries.
Honouring Employer Excellence
The Employer Awards recognised organisations that have gone above and beyond to support apprentices, with categories spanning Care, Childcare, and Professional Services, and distinctions made between SMEs and Large Employers.
🏆 Care Levy Employer of the Year – CCH Group
CCH Group has shown remarkable growth and energy in expanding its apprenticeship programme. Starting 2024 with 33 branches, their partnership with Paragon Skills now spans 297 branches, with learner numbers rising from under 30 to over 300. Now ranked #2 in our Top 40 Employers list, their success is driven by a strong internal culture that supports progression and values apprenticeships. Their Skills & Qualifications Manager takes a ‘People First’ approach, ensuring every learner and manager receives tailored support. This programme is a clear investment in their colleagues’ futures and the future of the care sector.
🏆 Care SME Employer of the Year – Making Space
Making Space continues to champion apprenticeships as a key part of staff development, focusing on placing the right people on the right programmes with strong support throughout. Their achievement rates rose from 45% to 63%, leading the Department for Education to remove the need for monthly performance reviews. A robust application process ensures learner choice and manager engagement, while ongoing communication fosters motivation at every level. By encouraging apprentices to share experiences, Making Space creates a supportive learning culture that empowers individuals to succeed.
These organisations has demonstrated exceptional commitment to nurturing talent and creating meaningful opportunities for apprentices to thrive.
Celebrating Learner Success
The Learner Awards paid tribute to individual excellence, recognising apprentices who have shown outstanding dedication and made significant contributions in their fields.
🌟 Care Learner of the Year (16–24) – Megan Bater, Right At Home
Megan Bater, an Adult Care Worker Level 2 apprentice, has gone above and beyond in her role at Right at Home Exeter and Exmouth. She helped fulfil a lifelong dream for one of her service users, Nancy, by arranging and attending a concert by The Drifters, an experience that was even featured in the local news. Megan’s compassion, initiative, and commitment to person-centred care exemplify the values of the apprenticeship programme and the impact young carers can make in their communities.
🌟 Care Learner of the Year (25+) – Joanna Sholtysek, Voyage Care
Joanna Sholtysek, an Adult Care Worker Level 2 apprentice, has shown remarkable resilience and dedication throughout her learning journey. Her passion for supporting adults with autism and learning disabilities shines through in her everyday practice, especially in her creation of personalised ‘communication cards’ a thoughtful tool that helps others understand and support clients in person-centred ways. Joanna’s empathy, creativity, and commitment to inclusion make her a true role model and an asset to the care sector.
These learners exemplify the spirit of apprenticeships; resilience, growth, and a passion for making a difference.
A Celebration of Impact
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the winners and finalists. Your achievements inspire us and reflect the transformative power of apprenticeships across the Knovia Group. We’re proud to honour the outstanding contributions of our learners and employer partners, and to celebrate the difference they make every single day.
🎥 Missed the awards? You can still catch all the excitement and inspiration by watching the full awards video below or our YouTube channel. Let the stories of our winners motivate you and offer a glimpse into the future of our industries.