Hilton yesterday announced the winners of its prestigious National Apprentice awards. The ceremony was part of an event held during National Apprenticeship Week to celebrate the achievements of Hilton’s apprentices.
Hilton offers Level 2, 3 and 4 apprenticeships across areas including professional cookery, front desk, food and beverage service, facilities, exercise and fitness, and sales. Its fully-funded apprenticeship programmes provide individuals with practical work experience alongside on-the-job training from professionally qualified experts, development workshops and master classes.
Jai Kumar, a Food & Beverage apprentice from Hilton East Midlands Airport, was crowned Apprentice of the Year. Nominated for making impressive professional progress since joining Hilton in October last year, Jai was commended for cementing his position as a crucial member of the team at Hilton East Midlands Airport. His nomination highlighted the consistent glowing feedback he has received from guests in recognition of his hard work. Jai is due to complete his apprenticeship in October 2018.
Jai said: “I’m thrilled to have won Hilton’s Apprentice of the Year award. My confidence has grown significantly since I joined Hilton, and I would recommend an apprenticeship to anyone. The experience has completely changed my attitude towards work; the positive environment motivates me every day. I think 2018 is going to be an exciting year, and I can’t wait to see where my career with Hilton will lead. I have a great team to help me progress, and I’m looking forward to supporting new Team Members using my own experience, as well as continuing to give every guest the best experience.”
Lewis Mckay-Bell from Hilton Maidstone was awarded Line Manager of the Year. Lewis was chosen by his colleagues for his dedication to supporting apprentice Team Members. He was commended for consistently taking the time to help shape the development of those he manages, providing extensive feedback to help apprentices grow in confidence and ability.
Hilton Birmingham Metropole was awarded the Hotel of the Year award. Entries highlighted the hotel’s Team Members’ commitment to promoting the benefits of apprenticeships, and attending events to drive engagement and encourage more young people to consider applying for an apprenticeship.
As well as the awards ceremony, the event featured a series of inspirational talks and interactive ambassador training workshops. The workshops – run in partnership with Springboard and facilitated with support from Lifetime Training – focused on coaching Team Members to become “apprenticeship ambassadors”. Participants were trained to provide support, guidance and inspiration on the benefits of apprenticeships to school pupils currently considering their career options.
Kay Harriman, Senior Director, HR UK & Ireland at Hilton, said: “Apprentices are a huge asset to our business, delivering exceptional experiences to guests every day. This event was first and foremost a celebration of their hard work, as well as the Team Members and hotels who support them. We hope this event will have inspired our apprentices to consider their long-term goals at Hilton. For many, this is the beginning of a successful hospitality career, and it will be exciting to see where their ambitions take them.”
Hilton is committed to connecting, preparing and employing one million young people by 2019 in order to help address global youth unemployment challenges. In the last 12 months, it has employed approximately 900 young people through its dedicated youth programmes and initiatives in the UK.