INDEPENDENT training provider Alliance Learning has celebrated its 22nd annual awards evening.

It was hosted by the Horwich company’s new chief executive Julie Robinson and took place at the headquarters of partner organisation and sponsor MBDA, in Lostock.

There were more than 100 guests in attendance, including MP Julie Hilling, the Alliance Learning board, the BestofBolton representatives, Alliance Learning staff, the winners, and their guests and employers.

Ms Robinson acknowledged the difficulty the judges had in selecting just a handful of winners across the various categories.

She said: “The individual awards are based on performance, attitude, conduct, effort and application. Winners have been selected by nominations from Alliance Learning staff.

“We currently have more than 500 learners on our various training programmes, so you can imagine it has been a difficult, however, enjoyable process to select the winners from the various categories.”

There were also two additional awards, Company of the Year for Training and Development and Employee of the Year Award, both nominated by Alliance staff.

The highlight of the evening was the highly coveted Overall Apprentice of the Year Award, won by 21-year-old Jade Aspinall from Wigan who works MBDA as an Engineering Apprentice.

She also picked up the Technical Engineering Apprentice Award on the evening and was also awarded SEMTA’s Apprentice of the Year and the overall Best of British Engineering Award in February.

A raffle took place on the night with £246 raised split between two charities, Bolton Hospice and Derian House Children's Hospice.

Both charities were chosen in memory of employees from Alliance Learning who had died in recent years.

Award winners:

  • Business Administration Apprentice Award — John Holland
  • Childcare Apprentice Award — Joanne Gilligan
  • Health & Social Apprentice Award — Stacey Nowell
  • Electrical Engineering Apprentice Award — Joseph Newton
  • Mechanical Engineering Apprentice Award — Andrew Crompton
  • Fabrication and Welding Apprentice Award — Scott Hardman
  • Technical Engineering Apprentice Award — Jade Aspinall
  • Progression Award — Philip Rothwell
  • E-Learning Award — Amna Tia Khan
  • Alliance Learning Employee of the Year Award — Ashley Swift