Bradford College ‘means business’ with latest award triumph

Bradford College is celebrating another win, following the recent ‘Bradford Means Business’ awards. At an illustrious ceremony held at the Walton View Hotel in Drighlington, the College came out on top in the ‘Social Mobility Award’ category thanks to our partnership with Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

This is the second time in quick succession that the partnership has been externally recognised, following victory at the West Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards back in May.

Vice Principal for Curriculum, Asa Gordon, said “We are delighted to be recognised for what we’ve achieved, and continue to do so, in partnership with the Trust, supporting apprentices and staff to secure long-term futures in the health sector.

“The work we do is essential in developing the skills of the workforce and meeting the future needs of a rapidly changing sector. The Foundation Trust team works closely with our Apprenticeship team to design the curriculum, break down barriers to accessing placements and support progression into sustained employment.

“We look forward to continuing to work with the staff at Bradford Teaching Hospitals and thank them for their hard work and dedication in building such a successful partnership, which is benefiting both employees and patients.”

The programme has provided a steady stream of frontline care workers to the Trust for over 6 years now, who often progress into career paths such as nursing. The ‘one team’ approach has enabled 59 Apprentices in the past 12 months, with a further 92 in programme, meaning an overall figure of 151 provided so far across adult, maternity and paediatric services.  Speaking about the partnership, Head of Apprenticeships and Business Development, Kelly McAllister, said: “The partnership was founded from a mutual desire to improve and increase the number of young people and adults entering meaningful employment, with real progression and career opportunities.

“We have seen hundreds of individuals successfully complete Apprenticeships across a number of professions including Healthcare Support, Business Administration and Management. Many have progressed on to higher level qualifications and secured employment within the trust.

 “It is fantastic for all involved to be recognised with the Social Mobility Award at this year’s Bradford Means Business Awards, we hope that this shines a light on the partnership and encourages employers to use their levy to design and deliver similar programmes.”

The College also sponsored the ‘Apprentice of the Year’ which was awarded by Sarah Towan, Director of Student Recruitment to Keiran McCrickard who is a science manufacturing technician at Solenis.

College partners Prospect Change and MyLahore also enjoyed success on the night as winners of ‘New Business of the Year’ and ‘SME Business of the Year’, respectively.