We’re pleased to announce that entries are now open for the 2026 Employability Awards, marking the prestigious event’s 14th year of recognising excellence across the employment support sector.
Launched on Employability Day 2026, the awards celebrate the individuals, teams, partnerships and organisations making a difference to people’s lives by supporting them to move closer to, enter and sustain good work.
Sponsored by Fedcap, the awards provide an opportunity for those working across employment support and skills to showcase innovative practice, demonstrate impact and gain sector-wide recognition for their achievements.
Over the past 14 years, the awards have become a flagship event for the sector, attracting thousands of entries from organisations across the UK. Entries are judged by an independent panel of experts, with winners announced at the Employability Awards Dinner following the ERSA Conference in November.
Elizabeth Taylor, Chief Executive of ERSA, said, “The Employability Awards are the opportunity for individuals and teams in the sector to showcase the work done, the innovative solutions, the determined efforts, and the collaborations that must be showcased and acknowledged. If you, your team or one of you colleagues deserves sector wide recognition, nominate!”
Susan Paterson, Executive Director of Fedcap Employment, said: “The ERSA Awards showcase the very best of what our sector does – innovate, inspire and impact positively on the thousands of people we support into work each year. Fedcap is proud to be the overall awards sponsor for 2026 and we look forward to helping ERSA celebrate the many stories of success later this year.”
Entry to the awards is free and open to any individual, team, partnership or organisation of any size that supports people to access, progress in and sustain employment. You can view the full list of categories, how to apply and the criteria here.
Key dates:
Those interested in entering the awards can submit their applications here.
Tickets for the ERSA Conference and Employability Awards 2026 are available here.
Organisations interested in sponsoring an award category can contact ERSA at events@ersa.org.uk for more information.