Apprentice Award
The IOP Apprentice Award enables the community to recognise and celebrate the skills and experiences of apprentices working in physics-powered businesses.
Have you, or someone you know, been working as an apprentice in a technical role in a physics-powered business?
By way of example, nominees may have been helping to collect and analyse samples, planning and preparing experiments, recording or presenting data, or building or maintaining infrastructure and laboratory equipment, including software, to support research and innovation.
Apprentices across the UK and Ireland are undertaking incredible work, and this is a chance to recognise it. With the aim of raising the professional status and profile of apprentices, the IOP Apprentice Award will highlight the diverse role of apprentices working in physics-powered businesses.
The winner of the Apprentice Award will receive a prize of £1,000, a trophy, a certificate of achievement and an invitation to a celebratory event.
We welcome and encourage nominations from people from underrepresented backgrounds and those who may not have previously applied or nominated others for an award. Please also note that we welcome nominations from non-members as well as IOP members.
Eligibility
Eligible apprentices will be undertaking their apprenticeship in physics-powered businesses.
Physics-powered broadly describes sectors or organisations that are underpinned by physics as an enabling discipline, including education and research. This encompasses sectors including engineering, manufacturing and green energy, including sub-sectors using cutting-edge physics-derived technology such as quantum, nuclear and aerospace.
The award will be given to individuals that have been working as apprentices in a technical role for at least one year.
Eligibility criteria
- the nominee(s) must be an individual employed by a physics-powered business in the UK or Ireland either part- or full-time for at least one year
- nominees, nominators and referees do not need to be members of the IOP
- nominees, nominators and referees cannot be members of the IOP’s Council or employees of the IOP
- nominators may be working in the same organisation as the nominee(s)
- nominators cannot act as referees but referees may be working in the same organisation as the nominee
- an individual cannot be rewarded twice for substantially the same body of work
- nominees should either still be completing their apprenticeship, or have finished their apprenticeship in the 12 months prior to the closing date for nominations, which is Friday 19 April 2024
The IOP reserves the right to rescind IOP Awards should there be evidence of a significant breach of the Code of Conduct.
Nomination process
Nominations are now closed.
Nominators must submit:
- their details and details of the nominee(s) with details of the working relationship between nominator and nominee(s)
- a statement of impact of no more than 500 words that highlights:
- relevant information about the nominee (including examples of enthusiasm about the subject and their role within it, communication skills, etc.) and their role
- examples of their achievements, highlighting their skills, expertise, contributions and resulting impact on the organisation and/or colleagues
- evidence of professionalism (e.g. organisational skills, precision, consistency of approach and competency) and examples of learning and personal development
- examples of where the nominee has overcome challenges and/or inspired other colleagues, co-workers, students, etc.
- contact details for two referees, at least one of whom should be the head of department or function, or the equivalent level of seniority within an organisation (their supporting statement will be required at a later stage)
If you have any questions about this award please email [email protected].
Previous winners
2023
Find out about our 2023 winner, Saskia Burke from the National Physical Laboratory
2022
Faye Taylor - Science and Technology Facilities Council