The awards, now in their 18th year, recognise and reward achievement in training, learning and personal development. Open to any size of organisation, there are three levels of award, starting with local awards within regions of England and in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

From the winners in this category, the national winners are chosen and finally, the special national awards are handed out to those demonstrating “truly exceptional achievement” through training.

For those entering the awards there is a comprehensive support programme provided by the organisers. This includes a handbook with advice on how to complete entry forms and also workshops and a mentor scheme, all of which are provided free.

The half-day workshops are held throughout the UK and are run by training professionals. They give entrants the chance to hear from previous winners and talk with other entrants about different training experiences.

The telephone mentor service can be used to help formulate ideas for entries, to discuss different aspects of training programmes and to get constructive feedback on the entry.

For more information on the National Training Awards, call 0800-917 7337 (028-9068 9085 for those in Northern Ireland) for an information pack. The deadline for entries is 29 April 2005.

For more sources of advice and information, see the Training section.