Kaplan was proud to sponsor the BAME Apprenticeship Awards 2020, which recognised the fantastic achievements of apprentices from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic groups, their employers, and learning providers.
Hosted online, the live stream had all the glamour of a regular awards show and was a huge success. The event was a welcome reminder of the ongoing efforts of apprentices, as they studied throughout a difficult year.
We were pleased to sponsor the Construction Services award category, presented by our Client Director Surju Kanani.
Romario Cazaubon of the Mace Group took home the Apprentice of the Year award in this category, with Dionne Alder of Southwark Council and Pritam Bhojani of Atkins Global being Highly Commended. The Employer of the Year in this category was JS Wright & Co Ltd.
Fantastic achievements all round.
We were also delighted to see one of our own learners named as Apprentice of the Year in the Accounting and Finance category. Haider Ali, is a Level 7 apprentice with Kaplan and was delighted to be named as the winner:
“Being crowned the national apprentice winner in the Accounting and Finance category feels incredibly overwhelming to say the least, particularly given the outstanding quality of competing entries.
“Both my family back home in Pakistan and here in the UK are incredibly proud of what I’ve achieved, after my A-Levels, with my Kaplan apprenticeship at Rolls-Royce.
“Growing up, I never had an abundance of ‘real’ models who looked like or came from the same background as me.
“This victory isn’t just important for me but for every young boy/girl that will come across my story who may be Black, Asian or from any other ethnic minority that feels they can’t succeed in life because they aren’t always represented in society.
“Your heritage is your power and absolutely nothing in this life is impossible.”
Haider is currently studying towards the Level 7 CIMA Professional qualification with Kaplan. He had previously completed his Level 4 AAT qualification, and is on course to become a fully qualified Chartered Accountant.
His employers, Rolls Royce, were also delighted by his win:
“It comes as no surprise to us that he could win such an award, he is a great role model to apprentices of what can be achieved, well done!”
A huge congratulations also to our partners EY, who picked up the Employer of the Year award in the Financial, Legal and Professional Services category. Their win reflected the company’s continued efforts in championing diversity and inclusion in their recruitment processes, and support for apprentices throughout their learning journey.
We’d like to pass on our congratulations again to all the nominees and winners from the awards.
We have a large number of talented apprentices from BAME groups, and look forward to supporting the work they do.
You can still watch the awards ceremony if you missed it, or for more on Kaplan Apprenticeships, check out our Apprenticeship pages.