Oct 25, 2021

Meet the sponsors supporting the future of Greater Birmingham Find out about the companies sponsoring the Greater Birmingham Apprenticeship Awards 2021 Sponsored From left: Sarah Walker of BT Enterprise, Amarjit Sahota of Birmingham City Council, Greg Morrall of Swift and Kevin Davis of The Ladder Foundation Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands - articles, insight and analysis straight to your inbox every morningInvalid EmailSomething went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Thank you for subscribingWe have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Apprenticeships represent the future, from the personal development of an individual to the growth of a company or industry. The Greater Birmingham Apprenticeship Awards 2021 will celebrate the best and brightest learners, training providers and the employers who are helping them to succeed. The special evening will take place on Thursday, November 11 at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham. This year's event is in partnership with Ladder for Greater Birmingham , an initiative aimed at creating hundreds of new apprenticeships in Birmingham and Solihull, and is headline sponsored by Sandwell College Gateway 2 Employment . Tickets are £65 each or table of 10 for £650, including a welcome drink and three-course dinner. To book, click here . Follow the hashtag #GBAA21 for updates on social media. Read More The sponsors of this year's dedicated awards ceremony are passionate about rewarding all of those involved in the process of apprenticeships. Without their support, events like the Greater Birmingham Apprenticeship Awards 2021 would not be able to take place and that necessary appreciation would not be possible. Find out more about them below... Small Employer of the Year (1-50 staff) BT is the UK’s leading telecommunications and network provider and a leading provider of global communications services and solutions. BT Group, including Openreach, is one of the UK’s largest private sector apprenticeships employers and in October 2020 ranked fourth in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers in the UK. Sarah Walker, director of BT’s Enterprise business in the North and Midlands said: “BT is at the heart of the UK’s digital economy and, as a leading employer of apprentices, we offer fantastic career and development opportunities. “As a firm believer in the value of apprenticeships and also a proud supporter of SMEs , we’re delighted to be sponsoring the Small Employer of the Year category in this year’s awards.” Medium Employer of the Year (51-249 staff), Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP 's mission is to drive the economic growth of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull area, creating jobs and increasing the quality of life for all of its residents. The Local Enterprise Partnership was established in 2010 as a partnership of business, public sector and further and higher education leaders. The collaborative and business-focused approach enables the organisation to target interventions for maximum benefit to everyone who lives in the area and also to the local economy. Large Employer of the Year (250+ staff) BCTG aims to build better people by helping to deliver the best learning solutions possible. Through its group companies, BCTG Ltd, PTP Training Ltd and Eurosource Solutions, and select partners, Further EPAO and The Apprenticeship Works , it offers a one-stop-shop allowing individuals and companies to realise their potential. Mike Smith, business development officer at BCTG said: "BCTG is proud to be a supporter of the Ladder for Birmingham. We are an active partner of the Ladder Foundation both in Birmingham and the Black Country. I personally have been on the judging panel for the awards for two consecutive years." From left: Sarah Walker of BT Enterprise, Kevin Davis of The Ladder Foundation and Mike Smith of BCTG Training Provider of the Year Established since the 1990s, the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Training Provider Network is a selective but informal group of C-Level executives from Government-funded, work-based learning providers based within the region. The network brings together more than 20 quality-approved training providers and is driven by sector-experienced directors. It allows for collaboration, bigger audience platforms and educational events. Chair, Noel Dunne says: "The Greater Birmingham Apprenticeship Awards add value to the local economy, and help promote the excellence of work-based training opportunities across the region. They demonstrate to young people, their families, and professionals that apprenticeships are a viable route to starting your chosen career, and The Greater Birmingham & Solihull Training Provider Network is proud to sponsor the awards again this year." Education Engagement Award The Ladder Foundation wants to support employers and apprentices throughout Staffordshire, Black Country, Shropshire and Greater Birmingham areas and ensure that they can take full advantage of the skill-developing opportunities and other benefits that come with taking on an apprentice. Kevin Davis CEO of The Vine Trust Group and chair of The Ladder Foundation said: "As chair of the Ladder apprenticeship campaigns and awards judge, I’m very much looking forward to holding our Birmingham awards in person. "The judging was very tough, given the range of talent, but I’m confident we have made the right final decisions, and I trust you will agree when we see you in person. Events like these are important for raising awareness and the confidence in the region’s resilient response to our recovery efforts" Apprentice of the Year: Health, Education and Care Birmingham Metropolitan College is a large further education college with approximately 16,000 learners and three main campuses based in Birmingham. The broad curriculum offer includes: A-Levels and vocational qualifications, apprenticeships , access to higher education, part-time adult professional development, entry level courses as well as full and part-time degree level study programmes. Suzie Branch, vice-principal for external development says: “We always look forward to the Greater Birmingham Apprenticeship Awards, we are a large FE college group in Birmingham and work with many local employers. "These awards give us the opportunity to really shout about the fantastic work we do with them and our students to support the regional economy to grow and prosper." Apprentice of the Year: Construction and Property Industries Swift is a ROAPT registered, ESFA approved provider of high-quality learner and industry-focused apprenticeships. It delivers support for talented individuals wanting to build their careers in childcare and education, digital marketing and continuous improvement. Managing director, Greg Morrall said: "Following a career that has spanned property development, estate agency and apprenticeships, I was delighted to sponsor the Construction and Property Industry category at this year's Apprenticeship Awards. Sponsoring this award combines my experience and interest in the property sector and my passion for celebrating the many positives that apprenticeships provide. On behalf of myself and Swift apprenticeships, we wish you all the best of luck." Click here for tickets to the Greater Birmingham Apprenticeship Awards 2021 on Thursday, November 11 at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham. Apprentice of the Year: Engineering and Manufacturing South & City College is a vocational college which offers students part time, full time and apprenticeship courses from level 1 to higher education in a range of subjects. Rebecca Waterfield, deputy director for employer engagement and apprenticeships said: "South & City College Birmingham is proud to be sponsoring the Engineering category for the apprenticeship awards. Engineering is a key sector for our West Midlands region and through our Engineering Centre of Excellence, we are dedicated to providing students with the right skills to be the engineers of the future and to meet the current and approaching skills need of the industry. "These awards are an excellent opportunity to celebrate the brilliant achievements of engineering apprentices within our region and highlight the importance of developing talent to meet the skills needs of the future." The college's engineering provision has gone from strength to strength over recent years and now has a clear pathway from entry level through to a full degree through a unique partnership with University of Birmingham. From left: Rebecca Waterfield of South & City College, Greg Morrall of Swift, Fraser Ingham if Skillsfirst and Amarjit Sahota of Birmingham City Council Apprentice of the Year: Professional Services Birmingham City Council is one of the largest employers in Birmingham, with more than 11,000 staff supporting 1.1 million citizens, making Birmingham the largest local authority in the UK. Its aim is to make Birmingham a city of growth, where every child, citizen and place matters. One of the integral ways of meeting this aim is through the provision of apprenticeship opportunities and entry-level employment. Amarjit Sahota, culture change manager said: "Birmingham City Council is proud to be sponsoring the Greater Birmingham Apprenticeships Awards. We want our exceptional diverse local talent to be recognised for the hard work they contribute to making Birmingham a high performing and skilled city which continues to attract more leading businesses to the area. This then creates more opportunities for our residents to flourish in securing new career pathways and employment." Apprentice of the Year: Tech, Digital and Creative Industries Not only the headline sponsor for the awards, Sandwell College is also a category sponsor. A passionate supporter of apprenticeships, it works with leading employers across the region, specialising in a variety of sectors. The college's employer services and recruitment arm, Gateway 2 Employment, is a partner for apprenticeships, skills solutions and commercial training. It manages the whole process and its experienced advisers have extensive industry knowledge. Commenting on the awards ceremony, Sanjeev Gill, head of engagement at Sandwell College said: "We're looking forward to the awards because as a college we're keen on nurturing and growing young talent ourselves. Sandwell College is already expanding its apprenticeship programme and we want to be known throughout the region for it - we want to welcome apprentices from across the city, and also celebrate their success." Read More Greater Birmingham Apprentice of the Year Skillsfirst is focused on high-quality solutions for learning and apprenticeships. It provides an Ofqual regulated awarding organisation, Skillsfirst Awards, and an end-point assessment organisation, Skillsfirst Assess, to ensure apprentices have the opportunity to achieve their best outcome. Fraser Ingham, sales and marketing director said: "After all that has happened in the last two years, these awards represent a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the positive impact apprenticeships are having in the Greater Birmingham region. The quality of the nominations was excellent, as is the commitment from employers and providers to support their apprentices. "As a regulated awarding and end-point assessment organisation, apprenticeships are at the heart of everything we do and we are delighted again to support these awards in 2021." Our event drinks sponsor is PTP Training and our brochure sponsor is Make UK . Click here for tickets. The Greater Birmingham Apprenticeship Awards 2021 will take place on Thursday, November 11 at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham. Follow the hashtag #GBAA21 for updates on social media. What is the Ladder for Greater Birmingham? The Ladder for Greater Birmingham campaign launched in summer 2018 with the aim of creating new apprenticeships in Birmingham and Solihull by bringing candidates and training providers together with employers. We have been supporting the project from day one as media partner and organiser of our annual apprenticeship awards in partnership with the Ladder. Other stakeholders include Vine Trust, Performance Through People, Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP, Birmingham and Solihull Training Provider Network and West Midlands Combined Authority. To get involved in the campaign visit www.ladderforbirmingham.co.uk and read all of our previous coverage here. You can contact the Ladder team on 03332 409 699 or by emailing apprenticeships@ladderforbirmingham.co.uk Follow BusinessLive