Staff from The Sheffield College’s employer engagement team have won two categories of a regional business awards scheme.
The Yorkshire Young Professional Awards 2023 recognise leading professionals aged 35 and under who are doing ‘amazing’ work for their employers.
Run by Yorkshire Business Insider magazine, the awards cover a range of industry sectors and professional disciplines and comprise 10 categories.
The College won the following two awards categories:
- Young Professional Team of the Year – won by the College’s Industry Placements and Work-Related Activity Team.
- Young Business Development Professional – won by the College’s Shani Clifford.
Staff in the employer engagement team work with regional employers to involve them in training students in the skills that the economy needs.
The team’s remit includes community project work, the employer skills academies programme, industry placements, the virtual reality placement programme and work-related activity for students.
Anita Straffon, Deputy Chief Executive and Principal, The Sheffield College, said: “This is a great achievement that represents the hard work of the entire Work-Related Activity Team. I am so proud of the team and how it is contributing to the College’s mission of transforming lives through learning.”
Rachel Topliss, Head of Employer Engagement, The Sheffield College, said: “Every day, both Shani in her role, and the college-wide Work-Related Activity Team, challenge themselves not just to do more but to do it better and that’s what makes an impact.
“With ongoing support from our employers, the College will continue to put students first and inspire them to go further in their career. This award wouldn’t be possible without the ongoing support of our fantastic employers and stakeholders who continue to provide our students with exciting and engaging opportunities.”
Shani Clifford, Senior Employer Relationship Coordinator, The Sheffield College, commented: “Thank you to all the employers that work with me on a daily basis to achieve our goals of providing engaging and insightful education to our employer skills academies students. As a former school drop-out who was once told that she ‘was never going to achieve anything in life’ this award win means the absolute world to me!”
Louise Tagg, Work-Related Activity Industry Placement Coach, The Sheffield College, added: “To be shortlisted for two high profile awards was a fantastic achievement. To then go on to win both categories was truly amazing. The staff involved are dedicated to ensuring that students’ learning journey is as creative, enriching and valuable as possible.”
The College, which is Ofsted graded ‘good’, works with approximately 2,458 employers. Of those, 808 employers are involved in apprenticeship programmes.
Around 1,650 employers provide experience of work, industry placements or other work-related activity to students. You can find out more about employer partnerships, and how to get involved, on our website.
The winners of the Yorkshire Young Professionals Awards 2023 were announced at a dinner at New Dock Hall in Leeds on February 2nd, 2023.
