Jason Holt awarded CBE in New Year Honours List
January 1, 2015 – The Government Apprenticeship Ambassador for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and CEO of Holts Group, Jason Holt, has been given the honour of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 New Year’s Honours.
Jason Holt
Jason, who is founder of Holts Academy, was recognised for his services to apprenticeships, his outstanding contributions to promoting apprenticeships to SMEs, and his efforts to regenerate skills in his own sector in jewellery.
Jason has devoted the past 15 years to developing and promoting vocational skills training and apprenticeships.
His ongoing advocacy and support for apprenticeships in small businesses has made a difference to young people and the growth of small businesses which are important to the UK’s economy.
Alongside this work he has been steadily growing his own business, thus demonstrating the benefits to business of nurturing young talent.
Welcoming the news, Simon Rainer, Chief Executive of the British Jewellers’ Association, said: “This honour is a fitting recognition of the enormous contribution that Jason has made to advancing the jewellery industry, both through his determination to ensure the sector had skills for the future and his determination to put apprenticeships on the map.”
Jason added: “This is an extraordinary honour and something I never thought would come my way. I have always felt as a business owner I needed to act – to do something about the skills gap in our sector.
“I’m always willing to help if I know that I can make a valuable contribution, and to be recognised for that in this way is very humbling.”
