We are delighted to introduce Nielsen as the sponsor of the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards 2021 Advanced Apprentice of the Year Award. Nielsen is the largest market research company in the world, studying what consumers watch and buy across more than 100 countries.

Head of HR Operations and Learning and Development (UK and Ireland), Lisa Traynor explains why Apprenticeships are so important to Nielsen and why they are sponsoring this Award.

Tell us why you’re supporting the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards  

The Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards have been a great way of showcasing the amazing talent and hard work Apprentices do around the Oxfordshire area. We wanted to sponsor the awards as we believe they highlight to the wider Oxfordshire business community the value Apprentices bring to organisations and can encourage businesses to support local young people through Apprenticeship programmes.

As a business who has been recognised previously by Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards, we understand the value these awards bring to a business. It creates a spotlight internally to our Apprentices who work across a wide variety of our departments highlighting their hard-work and dedication to our business which raises the profile and legacy of our Apprenticeship programme.

Tell us about your organisation's experience of Apprenticeships

We launched our first Apprenticeship programme in 2014 with our first Level 5 Apprenticeship in Business Innovation and Growth. After 3 successful years and 3 outstanding cohorts of Apprentices who transitioned into live roles around the Nielsen business, we decided to evolve our Apprenticeship programme to not only meet the needs of our business but also to build upon the legacy the Apprentices established with the Level 5 Apprenticeship.

In 2015 we launched our first Level 3 programme in Business Administration with 4 Apprentices beginning their Nielsen career within our Client Service Online team. In line with evolving our Level 5 to Level 6 programme, in 2018 we launched a new Level 3 in Customer Service with the Client Service Online team with two new Apprentices joining the business.

In 2017 we launched our first degree level Apprenticeship which saw 10 new Apprentices joining Nielsen where they will complete three year rotations around the business whilst studying for a BA (hons) Degree in Business and Management practice. In 2018, we welcomed 12 new Apprentices to the Level 6 programme who will be following the path set by previous cohorts and continue to build upon the success of the Apprenticeship programme.

Join the conversation

Join us for Oxfordshire Apprenticeships Hour (#OAHour) on Twitter @OxonApprentice from 1pm every Thursday for latest on the Awards and join in the conversation using the hashtag #OAAwards2021.