The first ever Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list has just been released by the National Apprenticeships Service (NAS).

The Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers is a new initiative to recognise excellence in businesses employing apprentices. By celebrating their achievements, City & Guilds and the NAS hope to raise the profile of apprenticeships and promote their benefits to learners and employers alike.

London organisations recognised in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers are: l Admiral Scaffolding l Babcock l Blue Baboon Design l Bluefin Insurance Services Limited l BT l Greater London Authority Group l London Borough of Camden l Persona HR l SEC Recruitment l Tube Lines l Virtual Human Resources Entrants from across the country enjoyed a VIP reception and ceremony held at The Mermaid Conference and Events Centre in London to mark the event.

London employer London Underground saw its apprentice, Shauni O’Neill, receive the top prize at the EDI Apprentice of the Year Award.

Eighteen-year-old Shauni has completed a Rail Transport Operations Apprenticeship.

The award celebrates the high quality of supervision, guidance and training London Underground and Four Counties Training provide to their apprentices.

Skills Minister John Hayes said: “I'm delighted to congratulate Shauni for her hard work and outstanding achievement, and London Underground for their sound investment in the skills of their people. “Apprenticeships are great news for ambitious young Londoners and, with every £1 of Government money invested generating a return of £40, they are great for businesses and the economy, too. “On my watch, we have already created the biggest and best apprenticeships programme in our country’s history and we will keep working with employers large and small to deliver the best skills system in the world.”

Organised by the National Apprenticeship Service, the awards are designed to celebrate the achievements of apprentices and the businesses that employ them.

Vic Grimes, from the National Apprenticeship Service, said: “My congratulations to Shauni O’Neill on winning Apprentice of the Year 2011. I am delighted a Londoner has won this award.

“London Underground should be proud to have such an outstanding young person working for them.

“She is a role model within the company and is an example of the high calibre of apprentices in London.

Shauni’s commitment and hard work shine through.”