1st November 2024 – Over 800 guests gathered at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC) to celebrate some of the UK’s most inspiring apprentices and the organisations that support them at the 9th annual Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards. Run by The Pathway Group, in partnership with the world’s lifelong learning company Pearson, this year’s winners were announced at a ceremony hosted by Apprentice of the Year 2020 Kimmy Kimani Hobbs and renowned Broadcaster Tommy Sandhu.
The event seeks to recognise the talent and diversity within FE, honouring those working hard to overcome adversity and achieve their goals through apprenticeships. Following another record-breaking number of nominations, this year’s celebration was bigger than ever, with 30 outstanding apprentices, employers, learning providers, and individuals supporting the sector awarded on the night for their achievements.
Martyn Leader – Vice President of Pearson TQ
Opening the evening, Martyn Leader, Vice President of Pearson TQ, said: “Apprenticeships have the potential to make a profound and lasting impact on our economy. They are life-changing qualifications that launch careers, drive personal development, and will deliver a key contribution in the generation of national economic growth. The exceptional apprentices nominated at these awards are already a big part of that, but they are also setting a benchmark for future generations. The investment of precious time and resources by employers and training providers, and their belief in the potential and power of apprenticeships is essential to ensuring that every learner, regardless of background, has a pathway to a successful and fulfilling career. At Pearson we are fully committed to supporting our employers and training provider partners to succeed in this.”
21-year-old Accountancy and Taxation apprentice Aisha Manaal Ahmed from EY won the Accounting & Finance award for her excellent progression, growth and contribution to the company. Having been made the youngest-ever global co-chair of EY Muslim Community ‘EYMC’, she is responsible for leading the company’s most active faith network across 40+ countries.
Yusuf Patel received the Transport & Logistics award for his work on National Highways’ sustainability projects and his dedication to paying it forward through the additional support he gives to other apprentices and prospective apprentices.
Having left formal education over 20 years ago, Miranda Simms from TUI was awarded the Retail, Hospitality & Tourism award for proving that apprenticeships can lead to success at any age.
Compass Group UK & Ireland’s Temuujin Amarsanaa won Intermediate Apprentice of the Year for his efforts to serve a role model and encourage others within the Mongolian community to do an apprenticeship.
In another victory for Compass Group UK&I, they won Large Employer of the Year for currently employing over 600 apprentices across the hospitality industry, an increase of over 30% over the previous four years.
On a more sombre note, the event also paid tribute to Yusuf Mumtaz; an apprentice shortlisted for the awards who tragically passed away earlier this year aged just 21. Yusuf’s family and employer were invited as guests of honour to commemorate the young apprentice, and the Commitment to Apprenticeships award presented to solicitor apprenticeship advocate Joanna Hughes was named in his honour.
Aaminah Ahmed – Apprentice of the Year 2024
At the culmination of the evening, Aaminah Ahmed from Mondelēz International was crowned Apprentice of the Year 2024 for her outstanding contribution to the confectionery giant’s recent successes, combined with her numerous outreach efforts and charity initiatives. Just over two years into her apprenticeship, Aaminah has worked on the development and launch of several million-Pound-revenue-generating products and campaigns, including the Cadbury Mint Twirl and Darkmilk Hazelnut Praline chocolate bars. She has also re-launched Mondelēz’s Early Career Network (ECN) and launched the first ever graduation ceremony for early career schemes at the company. Outside of work, she promotes apprenticeships via school workshops and work experience opportunities and a recent charity dinner she helped organise raised nearly £60,000.
Addressing the audience towards the close of the event, Founder of The Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards and CEO of Pathway Group, Safaraz Ali, said: “This year our awards have once again seen a substantial uptake in the quantity of nominations submitted, and having such a wealth of dedication and talent gathered here is an inspiring reflection of that. A warm thank you to everyone who has contributed to making this event an extraordinary success.”
Full List of Winners
Apprentice of the Year 2024 (sponsored by Pearson)
Aaminah Ahmed – Mondelēz International (University of Kent)
Yusuf Mumtaz Award for Commitment to Apprenticeships (sponsored by Multicultural Apprenticeship & Skills Alliance)
Joanna Hughes
Overall Contribution to Apprenticeships (sponsored by Pathway Group)
Jill Whittaker OBE
Accounting & Finance (sponsored by Kaplan Financial)
Apprentice Winner – Aisha Manaal Ahmed – EY (Kaplan)
Employer Winner – HSBC UK
Management, Legal & Professional Services (sponsored by Mindful Education)
Apprentice Winner – Josephine Ijegbai – Leigh Day (The University of Law)
Employer Winner – DLA Piper
Charity, Voluntary & Public Services (sponsored by NCFE)
Apprentice Winner – Ammara Sidick – Bank of England (Northeastern University London)
Employer Winner – England Boxing
Health, Medical & Social Care (sponsored by Royal Navy)
Apprentice Winner – Jasmine Ale – AstraZeneca (Northeastern University London)
Employer Winner – London Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Construction Services (sponsored by Severn Trent)
Apprentice Winner – Bilal Arshad – Cundall (Coventry University)
Employer Winner – BAM UK & Ireland
Engineering & Manufacturing (sponsored by JTL Training)
Apprentice Winner – Asad Gondal – Rolls-Royce (University of the West of England)
Employer Winner – HydraForce Hydraulics
Digital & Technology (sponsored by BT Group)
Apprentice Winner – Ziana Butt BEM – Accenture (University of East London)
Employer Winner – Capgemini
Creative, Media & Marketing (sponsored by Occupational Awards Limited)
Apprentice Winner – Aaminah Ahmed – Mondelēz International (University of Kent)
Employer Winner – BBC
Retail, Hospitality & Tourism (sponsored by Lifetime Training)
Apprentice Winner – Miranda Simms – TUI (University of Exeter)
Employer Winner – British Airways
Transport & Logistics (sponsored by British Army)
Apprentice Winner – Yusuf Patel – National Highways (BPP)
Employer Winner – Amazon
Intermediate Apprentice of the Year (sponsored by Skills & Education Group)
Level 2 Winner – Temuujin Amarsanaa – Compass Group UK & Ireland (TSP Learn)
Level 3 Winner – Tasnem Chawdhry – Boston Consulting Group (Multiverse)
Judges’ Choice (sponsored by Lloyds Banking Group)
Winner – Iman Bhatti – Microsoft (Aston University)
Small, Medium Employer of the Year (sponsored by Amazing Apprenticeships)
Winner – Joana’s Hair Elite
Large Employer of the Year (sponsored by NOCN Group)
Winner – Compass Group UK & Ireland
Learning Provider of the Year (sponsored by the Association of Employment and Learning Providers)
Winner – BPP Education Group
University of the Year (sponsored by Pathway Group)
Winner – University of Exeter
About The Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards
Founded in 2016 by Pathway Group and organised by ThinkFest, the Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards showcase the talent and diversity within multicultural communities through the celebration of those working hard to overcome adversity to achieve their goals through apprenticeships.
The awards highlight the achievements of apprentices and the contribution of employers and learning providers on the apprenticeship journey.
About Pearson
At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to help people realize the life they imagine through learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. That’s why our c. 18,000 Pearson employees are committed to creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. We are the world’s lifelong learning company, serving customers in nearly 200 countries with digital content, assessments, qualifications, and data. For us, learning isn’t just what we do. It’s who we are. Visit us at pearsonplc.com.
The Judging Panel comprised of
Suneal Ram Kissun – Head Judge
Squadron Leader Amir Khan – SO2 Ethnic Minorities Recruiting Strategy at Royal Air Force
Damian Corneal – Partner at PwC UK
Dan Howard – Partnership Development Director at Lifetime Training
David Smith – CEO of Lifetime Training
Jade Pearson – New Talent Leader at Severn Trent
James Adeleke – Chief Executive at Generation Success
James Emmett – Senior Director of Employer Engagement & Strategic Partnerships at Pearson
Jasmine Kundra – Learning Consultant at Adrenalearn
Jenny Pelling – Director of Apprenticeship Development and Diversity at Kaplan
Joanna Hughes – Director at Joanna Hughes Solicitor Apprenticeships
Kate Mooney – Apprenticeship Operations & Partnership Specialist at BT Group
Leanne Poole – Head of EPA Operations at NCFE
Lesley McCormack – Managing Director of MichaelJohn Training
Lucy Hunte – National Programme Manager of Apprenticeships at NHS England
Lieutenant Colonel Naveed Muhammad MBE – Capbadge Apprenticeships Lead for the Royal Corps of Signals, British Army
Mark Mckenna – Managing Director at Mindful Education
Nicola Johnson – Relationship Manager at Skills and Education Group
Sharon Walpole – Head of Partnerships at Careermap Media Group
