Scottish Apprenticeship Awards Nomination entry rules
Read the entry rules and key information for this year’s awards.
Entries for the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards must be fully compliant with all entry rules on this page. These include the general rules, category rules, key dates and privacy notice.
Please note – the entry rule criteria have been updated for 2025-26. Before starting your nominations, please carefully read the general rules, key dates, category rules and privacy notice.
General rules
Entries will only be accepted for apprenticeships taking place in Scotland that are funded by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) or the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).
The awards are free to enter and organisations are eligible to enter as many categories as they wish.
A separate entry must be submitted for each individual or organisation being nominated.
Individuals or organisations can only be nominated once within each category – additional entries for the same individual or organisation within a single category will not be accepted.
Nomination entries will only be accepted via the Apprenticeships.scot online system.
Entries cannot be amended after they have been submitted or after the closing date for applications has passed.
Nominations that do not meet the entry rules, that contain incorrect information or that are entered in an incorrect level or category will be disqualified automatically.
SDS reserves the right to withdraw candidates who are no longer with their employers at the time of the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards.
It is the nominator's responsibility to inform the nominee that they are submitting a nomination before they submit.
SDS will separately seek consent from shortlisted nominees regarding the collection and use of data relating to photography, filming and media.
SDS will complete a validation of all entries.
The judges' decisions are final, and no correspondence or discussion will be entered into regarding the selection of finalists and winners.
In the event of any potential conflict of interest, please seek clarification in advance of submitting the entry. In the first instance, contact scotappawards@sds.co.uk.
Key dates
The closing date for receipt of all completed nominations is 12pm (noon) on Friday 10 October 2025.
All finalists and their employers must be available between Monday 5 January 2026 and Friday 20 February 2026 for finalist filming and/or photography. This content will be used during the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards show and in event-related media activity.
Winners will be announced at the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards, which will take place on Thursday 26 February 2026 as the launch event for Scottish Apprenticeship Week.
Please now read the category rules for information on each category and the privacy notice for information on how we use data.
Category rules
Category rules have been updated for 2025-26. Please check the criteria for your categories before nominating.
Nominations for Foundation Apprentice of the Year should be completed by the Foundation Apprentice’s learning provider, a school representative or their employer.
This category is open to apprentices who will complete their Foundation Apprenticeship and achieve certification between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025.
The Foundation Apprenticeship qualification may be completed at SCQF Level 4, 5 or 6.
Nominations for Modern Apprentice of the Year – SCQF Level 5 should be completed by the Modern Apprentice’s employer or learning provider.
This category is open to apprentices who will complete their Modern Apprenticeship at SCQF Level 5 and achieve certification between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025.
All apprentices must be employed in a role that links directly to the apprenticeship framework achieved and not self-employed.
Nominations for Modern Apprentice of the Year – SCQF Level 6+ should be completed by the Modern Apprentice’s employer or learning provider.
This category is open to apprentices who will complete their Modern Apprenticeship at SCQF Level 6+ and achieve certification between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025.
All apprentices must be employed in a role that links directly to the apprenticeship framework achieved and not self-employed.
Nominations for Graduate Apprentice of the Year should be completed by the Graduate Apprentice’s employer or learning provider.
This category is open to apprentices who will complete their Graduate Apprenticeship and achieve certification between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025.
All apprentices must be employed in a role that links directly to the apprenticeship framework achieved and not self-employed.
Nominations for Supporting Net Zero Apprentice of the Year should be completed by the apprentice’s employer or learning provider.
This category is open to individuals who are currently completing an apprenticeship and working towards their qualification, or who successfully completed their apprenticeship after 1 January 2025.
All apprentices must be employed in a role that links directly to the apprenticeship framework achieved and not self-employed.
Nominations for SME Employer of the Year should be completed by an employer, or a learning provider working in partnership with the employer they are nominating.
The SME Employer of the Year category is only open to apprentice employers, including public sector, with fewer than 250 employees.
Nominations in this category must be for an organisation and not a department or team within an organisation.
Nominations for Large Employer of the Year should be completed by an employer, or a learning provider working in partnership with the employer they are nominating.
The Large Employer of the Year category is only open to apprentice employers, including public sector, with 250 or more employees.
Nominations in this category must be for an organisation and not a department or team within an organisation.
Nominations for the Leading in Learning Provision category should be completed by a learning provider, or an employer working in partnership with the learning provider they are nominating.
Nominees must be currently delivering learning provision for Foundation, Modern or Graduate Apprentices in Scotland, whose training is funded by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) or the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).
Nominations in this category must be for an organisation and not a department or team within an organisation.
Privacy notice
Please note that by submitting your nomination, you consent to us using the data you provide with your entry for the purposes stated below.
Participation in the awards is voluntary and the data you're submitting with your entry will be held securely by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) for 12 months and then deleted from our system.
We'll use the data to verify the eligibility of your entry. It will also enable SDS and our awards partners to contact you and your nominee in the lead-up to the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards with awards-specific information.
We're always interested in following apprentices' next steps after the awards. SDS may contact nominees for this purpose and to highlight opportunities to join future apprenticeship events or activities.
Our privacy policy details how we will use your information and your rights under data protection legislation.
If you're a nominee and wish to withdraw your consent for the information provided in your nomination, please contact the SDS Data Protection Team at DPO@sds.co.uk.