An ambassador for apprenticeships in the West Midlands who has been instrumental in both local and global projects for his employer has been named our 2021 Apprentice of the Year.
Ahmad Ford, from HydraForce Hydraulics in Birmingham, won the engineering and manufacturing category at our Greater Birmingham Apprenticeship Awards last night before being picked from six individual winners to be crowned overall Apprentice of the Year (see full list of winners below).
Ahmad is currently in the fourth year of an advanced engineering apprenticeship at the business which designs and manufactures hydraulic valves and assemblies.
During his time with the Aston-based company, the 29 year old has been entrusted with a variety of projects including the moving of a valve production line from the US to the 海角视频.
He has also implemented new health and safety practices and earned a distinction in all of his BTEC modules and is now embarking on a foundation degree with a view to completing a full honours degree in due course.
Our judging panel was also impressed with the work he does promoting apprenticeships in the region through his role as an ambassador for the West Midlands Young Apprentice Ambassador Network.
Ahmad also co-hosted a live Q&A during National Apprenticeship Week earlier this year aimed at inspiring the next generation.
It was a triple win at the awards ceremony for HydraForce Hydraulics which was also crowned Large Employer of the Year.
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Ahmad said: "Before I started my apprenticeship, I worked in retail for eight years at Homebase but I could see it was limited in terms of progression opportunities.
"My late stepfather was an engineer and actually built the house I live in. I thought I could learn from his life and he was an inspiration behind me following this path and hopefully I will become as successful as he was.
"I have lived in Aston since I was born where HydraForce now has a factory therefore I knew of the company.
"I remember what was there before they came and when the previous buildings were demolished and I even played at the Powerleague football facility next door.
"I was looking for a new career path and knew that engineering was what I wanted to go into. I was on the Government's apprenticeship website searching through the available positions when I saw one at HydraForce so it stood out instantly to me as a name I knew and a role I definitely wanted to apply for.
"I gave the application my all and am so grateful to one of the managers for giving me that opportunity to start an apprenticeship. I am really proud to be involved in some of the key projects at HydraForce and want to see them through to completion."
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The annual awards, which were held at Edgbaston cricket stadium and headline sponsored by Sandwell College Gateway 2 Employment, are run by our sister website BirminghamLive in partnership with the which is creating new apprenticeships across the region.
They celebrated achievement across 12 categories for individuals, employers and training providers and this year also awarded a special judges' prize to Balbinder Thumber from Happy Kidz Day Care.
The panel felt that, such was the strength of this year's entries, that we could not just celebrate one overall Apprentice of the Year so introduced an award for someone who had impressed judges with their story and therefore deserved some special recognition.
Kevin Davis, chairman of the Ladder for Greater Birmingham campaign, said: "I'm so pleased we have been able to recognise Ahmad over and above with this award.
"His commitment and ingenuity shone through with the judges and his example I'm sure will inspire all. Well done Ahmad."
BirminghamLive editor Graeme Brown added: "I would like to extend my congratulations to all of our finalists and winners at this year's apprenticeship awards.
"The competition was tough but what shone through for me was the way the apprentices, training providers and employers have all battled through the economic and social impacts of the pandemic to get the job done.
"I wish all of our winners and especially our Apprentice of the Year Ahmad the best of luck with their future endeavours and know that we have met some of the city region's great future leaders at these awards."
The full list of 2021 winners and sponsors is below and click here to read profiles of all of this year's finalists:
Apprentice of the Year - Health, Education & Care, sponsored by
Balbinder Thumber, Happy Kidz Day Care
Apprentice of the Year - Construction and Property Industries, sponsored by
Muhammad Farhan, SPV Group
Apprentice of the Year - Engineering and Manufacturing, sponsored by
Ahmad Ford, HydraForce Hydraulics
Apprentice of the Year - Professional Services, sponsored by
Charlotte Berisford, Birmingham City Council
Apprentice of the Year - Tech, Digital and Creative Industries, sponsored by
Benjamin McCleod, Meta Eagle
Apprentice of the Year - Retail, Travel, Tourism and Hospitality
Dorota Zajac, Motel Rocks
Greater Birmingham Apprentice of the Year, sponsored by (chosen from the six category winners above)
Ahmad Ford, HydraForce Hydraulics
Small Employer of the Year (1-50 staff), sponsored by
Above N Beyond
Medium Employer of the Year (51-249 staff), sponsored by
JS Wright & Co
Large Employer of the Year (250+ staff), sponsored by
HydraForce Hydraulics
Training Provider of the Year, sponsored by
Aspire Training Solutions
Education Engagement Award, sponsored by
Aspire Active Education Group
Our event drinks sponsor was Performance Through People and our brochure sponsor was Make 海角视频.
What is the Ladder for Greater Birmingham?
The Ladder for Greater Birmingham 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 and read all of You can contact the Ladder team on 03332 409 699 or by emailing apprenticeships@ladderforbirmingham.co.uk
Our 2021 judging panel was chaired by Mr Brown who was joined by:
- Suzie Branch-Haddow, vice-principal of external development Birmingham Metropolitan College
- Kevin Davis, chief executive, Vine Trust
- Noel Dunne, director, Creative Alliance
- Laura Hancox, account manager, Sandwell College
- Fraser Ingham, sales and marketing director, Skillsfirst
- Greg Morall, managing director, Swift
- Amarjit Sahota, culture change manager, Birmingham City Council
- Mike Smith, business development and IAG officer, BCTG
- Sarah Walker, director for corporate and public sector in the North and Midlands, BT
- Louise Ward, apprenticeship manager, West Midlands Combined Authority
- Rebecca Waterfield, deputy director, South & City College Birmingham
- Spencer Wilson, head of skills, Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP
Training providers play a vital role in the development of apprentices so the awards and Ladder campaign would like to recognise the following for their work with this year's finalists: Aston University, Birmingham City Council, Birmingham Metropolitan College, Juniper Training, Lifetime Training, Make 海角视频, Performance Through People, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, Walsall College and The Development Manager.