Staff at
Bradford College are celebrating after being awarded the title of West
Yorkshire Apprenticeship Training Provider of the Year.
The College received the accolade at the inaugural West Yorkshire
Apprenticeship Awards which celebrate and recognise the hardworking
individuals and organisations involved in apprenticeships across the county and
how they are helping to shape the future.
With close to a million active Apprenticeships across England alone,
apprenticeship schemes have fast become an essential route to future employment
for thousands of school leavers. The awards recognise and reward both
apprentices and employers excelling across West Yorkshire.
The announcement came at a glittering award ceremony held at the Bradford City
Football Club McCall Suite. Shortlisted individuals, employers, and education
providers attended the awards dinner to celebrate the success of
apprenticeships across the region.
Former BBC
Look North presenter Harry Gration co-hosted the awards with this
year’s winner of The Apprentice, West Yorkshire’s Harpreet Kaur.
Kelly McAllister, Head of Apprenticeships and Business Development at
Bradford College, said:
“We are absolutely thrilled that Bradford College was recognised as the top
Apprenticeship Training Provider at the West Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards.
It reflects the hard work and dedication of all our staff, who work tirelessly
to train, support, and assess apprentices at Bradford College and in the
workplace. Apprenticeships are a critical training pathway for many industries,
now more than ever, and we will continue to ensure more individuals achieve
rewarding and long-lasting careers.”
Bradford College supports up to 1,600 apprentices across approximately 900 employers on programme at any one time in Bradford and the wider Leeds City Region. A dedicated team of employer engagement staff are responsible for the account management of all employer partners.
In 2019 the
College established the Future Technology Board to ensure that curriculum meets
the current and future needs of employers. From this, six vocational hubs
were formed with members from industry bodies and now ensuring the
apprenticeship skills that are developed meet the requirements of regional
employers and the Skills for Growth agenda.
Bradford College faced stiff competition against Wakefield College, another
finalist in the ‘Training Provider/Programme of the Year’ awards category. Sponsored
by Occupational
Awards Ltd (the awarding body and approved end-point assessment organisation),
the award was judged by an independent panel of industry experts.
Awards judge and Yorkshire Post Business Editor, Mark Casci, said:
“Myself and my fellow judges found the entrants this year to be nothing
short of outstanding. The calibre of innovation, hard graft and
leadership shown by individual apprentices and their employers gave us all huge
optimism about the future of West Yorkshire’s economy.
“[…] Apprenticeships are the lifeblood of business. They will form the
workforce of tomorrow and set the agenda for the economy of the future.
Apprenticeships are a fantastic method of entering the workforce, one that
avoids accruing debts and offers an on-the-job learning experience which cannot
be equalled.”
#WYApprenticeshipAwards