Standout employers and Apprentices were honoured with awards from multi-award winning entrepreneur and author Junior Ogunyemi.
Apprentice employers, apprentices, and businesses providing work experience placements joined students from other vocational and academic qualifications offered by the college at The Beck Theatre in Hayes for the ceremony. Winners in the employer and apprentice categories were chosen from among the 1,000 who work with the college, providing on-the-job training for Apprentices in 25 sectors, as well as work experience placements and other link activities.
Businesses and not-for-profit organisations also supported the event through sponsorship, including Dennis Williams Ltd, Hillingdon Chamber of Commerce, John Guest Ltd, and M4Money Credit Union.
The winners in the employer and apprentice categories were:
- Martin-Baker Aircraft Company Limited – Apprentice Employer Award. Martin-Baker has the highest number of mechanical engineering apprentices of any employer working with Uxbridge College, with eight apprentices in 2018/19 and a further three being enrolled this year. The company has extremely high standards of training and an excellent rewards programme, and also employs a number of learners on the college’s HNC in Mechanical Engineering (equivalent to the first year of university study).
- Kingsley Court Care Home (Healthcare Homes Group) – Work Experience Employer Award. This employer has consistently supported a significant number of students in relation to work experience since 2011. In 2018/19, nine Level 3 (equal to A Levels) students on Health and Social Care completed long term placements, each gaining 100 hours practical experience. The company provides experienced mentors who work closely with the students and give them high quality employment experiences, and has also given tours to Level 1 students.
- Jack Marriage – Intermediate Apprentice Award (Level 2), sponsored by Hillingdon Chamber of Commerce. An apprentice who has shown true dedication in order to fulfil his potential. Jack has shown a positive attitude, passing all four motor vehicle exams and getting a merit for one of them.
- Paulina Colaco – Advanced Apprentice Award (Level 3), sponsored by Hillingdon Chamber of Commerce. Paulina offered additional support to her clients in her Health and Social Care role as part of efforts to gather the evidence required for an Advanced Apprenticeship, having previously completed her Level 2. She also found she needed to progress her maths and English, and completed six weeks of support sessions in order to do so. She has now been promoted to Senior Care Assistant, and successfully achieved the Advanced Apprenticeship.
Dr Darrell DeSouza, Principal of Uxbridge College and CEO of the merged college group HCUC (Harrow College Uxbridge College), said: “Here at Uxbridge College we are incredibly proud of our students’ dedication and achievements all year round, but it’s even better to be able to take a step back and take the time to really celebrate. I’d like to say a big thank you to Junior Ogunyemi for joining us this year to make it such an inspiring evening.
“Our winners are all different whether they’ve overcome the odds to progress up the ladder of qualifications within the college, gone on to university thanks to their A Levels or BTECs, or learned or gained formal recognition of professional skills. One thing they’ve certainly got in common though is that we think they’re amazing! A massive congratulations to everyone!”
