Winners of the 2026 Youth Employability Awards

At Movement to Work, we know that helping more young people into employment requires belief, commitment and tenacity – from employers, from partners and from young people. Our annual Youth Employability Awards celebrate the outstanding contributions and change makers that are making a difference across our network.

We had so many incredible nominations this year – each one representing real commitment to creating, supporting and embracing opportunities for young people. Congratulations to all of our nominees!

In particular, huge congratulations to our award winners! You blew us away with your commitment and impact and we look forward to seeing what you accomplish next.

Here are our amazing winners and highly commended nominees:

  • Employer of the Year (sponsored by LinkedIn) – Diageo
    • Highly Commended: Accenture & NatWest
  • Best Newcomer Employer (sponsored by NatWest) – Severn Trent
    • Highly Commended: PGL Travel & Compass Group
  • Partner of the Year (sponsored by Compass Group) – Shaw Trust
    • Highly Commended: The Talent People
  • Best Newcomer Partner (sponsored by Group GTI) – Rise Construction Framework & Thrive
    • Highly Commended: EFL in the Community
  • Mentor of the Year (sponsored by Cvent) – Aaron White – Key4Life
    • Highly Commended: Darren Holland – DWP & Wayne Sattaur – Springboard
  • Outstanding Contribution to Young People (sponsored by Youth Futures Foundation) – Teyah Davis – Accenture
    • Highly Commended: Lotte Bergsma – Marriott
  • Lifetime Contribution (sponsored by Brit Asia) – Sharon Braithwaite – BAE Systems
  • Rising Star (sponsored by Springpod) – Leigh-Anna Betham – BAE Systems / The King’s Trust
    • Highly Commended: Ryan Welch – MBDA & Lavender Ncube – Severn Trent
  • Breakthrough Star (sponsored by The Talent People) – Rachael Higgins – DWP
    • Highly Commended: Khaled Albitar – St George & Abdul Malik Dori – SSP / Centrepoint
  • Young Trailblazer (sponsored by West Midlands Combined Authority) – Alfie Erfan – Accenture
    • Highly Commended: Brandon Barker – NHS / Street League & Kyle Bamford – Homes2Inspire / Shaw Trust

Take a look at the awards highlights below:

Diageo – Employer of the Year
Diageo
Employer of the Year
Severn Trent – Best Newcomer Employer
Severn Trent
Best Newcomer Employer
Rise Construction Framework and Thrive – Best Newcomer Partner
Rise Construction Framework & Thrive
Best Newcomer Partner
Aaron White, Key4Life – Mentor of the Year
Aaron White – Key4Life
Mentor of the Year
Sharon Braithwaite, BAE Systems – Lifetime Contribution
Sharon Braithwaite – BAE Systems
Lifetime Contribution
Leigh-Anna Betham, BAE Systems and The King’s Trust – Rising Star
Leigh-Anna Betham – BAE Systems / The King’s Trust
Rising Star
Rachael Higgins, DWP – Breakthrough Star
Rachael Higgins – DWP
Breakthrough Star
Alfie Erfan, Accenture – Young Trailblazer
Alfie Erfan – Accenture
Young Trailblazer
Shaw Trust – Partner of the Year
Shaw Trust
Partner of the Year
Teyah Davis, Accenture – Outstanding Contribution to Young People
Teyah Davis – Accenture
Outstanding Contribution to Young People

Thanks to our sponsors 

We’d like to extend a huge thank you to our incredible sponsors who made this year’s event and awards possible: BritAsia Academy, Compass Group UK & Ireland, Cvent, Talent People, Group GTI, LinkedIn, NatWest Group, Springpod, West Midlands Combined Authority and the Youth Futures Foundation.

Get Involved

If you’d like to be part of driving lasting social change for young people, we’d love to hear from you.