"You’re hired" - congratulations to the Advanced National Apprentice of the Year

IBM apprentice, Joshua White (pictured right), beat off tough competition to be awarded the ‘Advanced’ National Apprentice of the Year at a ceremony in London on Tuesday 26 January. The prestigious annual awards, run by the National Apprenticeship Service, marks the end of an extensive process to identify the best individual apprentices in the country. Josh joined the apprenticeship programme at IBM after deciding the university route was not for him and is now working at IBM’s offices in Warwick as a Business Analyst. 

OCR provides the course and qualifications for all the talented apprentices on IBM’s two-year programme. All the apprentices on IBM’s award-winning scheme gain nationally-recognised OCR ICT Professional Competence qualifications. OCR's Level 3 qualifications that underpin IBM's training cover a broad range of skills, including asset management, info management, systems architecture, software design, ICT systems and data security. They provide a firm foundation for progress across the IT sector and contribute towards full apprenticeship certification within the IT, Software, Web and Telecomms Professionals Framework.

Jez Brooks, Early Professionals Programme Manager and Apprenticeship scheme leader at IBM, said: “We are absolutely delighted for Josh, and so proud of what he has achieved. Josh is a terrific ambassador both for IBM and for apprenticeships as a career pathway. He is a great example that university isn't for everyone, and that you can still be successful in your learning, development and career progression from the moment you begin work. The partnership which we have developed with OCR for technical and business apprenticeship development is proving hugely successful and I look forward to many more students achieving and contributing as much as Josh has."

Charlotte Bosworth, OCR’s Director of Skills and Employment, said: “Congratulations to Josh and to IBM for the award which recognises his outstanding work and commitment. OCR is proud to support learning on apprenticeship programmes. And this comes in the same week that the government called for schools in England to give vocational routes as much time as academic subjects so students who want to get places on apprenticeships are supported.”

Find out more about OCR Apprenticeships