Yorkshire Housing apprentice Muhammad Uddin has scooped a top prize at the inaugural WY Apprenticeship Awards held in Bradford on Thursday 9 June.
The awards celebrated the work of apprentices throughout the county and was hosted by The Yorkshire Evening Post, in conjunction with the Halifax Courier and Wakefield Express, and judged independently.
This year 33 people and businesses were nominated across 12 categories: ranging from Mentor of the Year to Large Business Apprentice Employer of the Year.
Muhammad has been with Yorkshire Housing since August 2017 and works as a Customer Services Resolution Advisor. He explains what this award means to him: “Winning this award is phenomenal and I am proud to be part of another successful achievement for Yorkshire Housing.
“I am grateful for the opportunities that I have had and will continue to make it happen and achieve impact for the organisation.
“This award is a prime example of what can be achieved when taking the apprenticeship route, as hard work and determination is always rewarded.”
Lewis Sale, a gas and plumbing apprentice with Yorkshire Housing, came runner-up in the Construction Apprentice of the Year award. And Yorkshire Housing came runner-up in the Large Business Apprentice Employer of the Year.
Kiran Olak, Senior People Development Coordinator and Emerging Talent Lead, shares her pride following the win: “Muhammad is a great example of why we invest in our apprentices, we’re really proud of him getting a much deserved award!
“Yorkshire Housing is committed to developing apprentices in their chosen career.
“Muhammad joined us five years ago and has been very pro-active, taking every opportunity offered to him.
“He started out completing a Level 2 apprenticeship in our benefits and money advice team before working his way up to a Level 3 in our customer complaints team.
“It’s always a pleasure to celebrate the talent, skill and determination of those who have gone above and beyond.
“We’re very proud of our apprentices and more than 70% have secured full time positions with us after completing their training.”
Yorkshire Housing began the apprenticeship scheme in 2007 and since then we’ve had more than 100 people take part.
Kiran Olak explains the importance of this scheme: “Apprenticeships are the perfect opportunity to grow future talent while shaping our future workforce.
“Our apprentices receive a fully funded nationally recognised qualification and they gain real-life experience in the process.
“They play a pivotal role in our teams and many go on to achieve amazing success at Yorkshire Housing.”
Yorkshire Housing has a variety of apprenticeships in roles across the business. These include construction-based roles in our Building Services, Gas & Plumbing and Electrical teams.
Opportunities for office-related roles including in Finance, ICT and Business Administration.
For more information on the apprenticeship scheme, click here.