The College Accounting Academy Apprentices at the Leadership Through Sport & Business Graduation Ceremony
The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL) was thrilled to see twenty of its top-performing apprentices graduate from the College’s Accounting Academy last week (Thursday 5 May). Devraj Singh was honoured with Apprentice of the Year, Runner Up at the prestigious event.
Hosted by ICAP, an international financial services corporation based in the City of London, the graduates were able to hear from founder and chief executive, Michael Spencer as he gave the opening speech.
CONEL’s Accounting Academy is a highly successful partnership run between CONEL and Leadership Through Sport & Business (LTSB), a charity providing accounting trainees aged 16 – 24 with apprenticeships in top flight companies, with the support of Leyton Orient Football Club. Using a powerful mix of sports coaching, mentoring and leadership opportunities, the LTSB way of working has launched the careers of many aspiring CONEL apprentices.
Michael Spencer stressed the need for resilience, persistence, keeping one's cool, learning from and analyzing the reasons for one's inevitable mistakes, having a passion for what you do, being inquisitive, keeping current and continuously learning, the pleasure of giving back - and the importance of making the most of good luck when it comes!
The graduation ceremony represented the culmination in the tremendous achievements made by the apprentices who passed their Levels 2 and 3 Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) qualifications, while working with their employers for a year, four days a week. The apprentices also attended guest speaker events and employability workshops, as well as taking part in a Mock Trial at Southwark Crown Court and competing in the annual LTSB Business Game Challenge.
The apprentices worked with Leyton Orient FC to achieve coaching certificates and benefit form mentoring opportunities, as well as life skills and leadership training. They were able to pass on what they had learned by coaching and mentoring local primary school children.
Three champions of the charity were recognised at the Graduation event: Futures for Kids - collected by trustee Bill Templer, Rachel Engel - Vice President and Director Macquarie Group Foundation and Lorraine Barclay - Global Head of Business Services ICAP
Michael Spencer and David Pinchin, LTSB founder and chairman, presented certificates to the graduating students.
David said of the event: “I would like to personally congratulate everyone who graduated last Thursday and to wish the graduates of our programme every success in their future careers. I look forward to hearing about your progress over the coming years and seeing you at our Alumni events.
“I would like to thank our delivery partners Leyton Orient Trust and College of Haringey Enfield and North East London.
Finally I would like to thank all the employers who supported our programme in 2015 and hired our apprentices, many of whom have also employed these young people at the end of the programme and continue to hire apprentices in 2016.”
The 2014 – 15 Accountancy Apprenticeship Cohort who graduated and their employers were:
Ben Ahmet - completed apprenticeship with Bayerische Landesbank
Zafar Alibhai - completed apprenticeship with Crowe Clark Whitehill
Phoebe Antiri - completed apprenticeship with Eversheds
Mehmet Colak - completed apprenticeship with Eversheds
Sabrina Garcha - completed apprenticeship with ICAP
Priya Gozra - completed apprenticeship with ICAP
Hudson Hughes - completed apprenticeship with RSM
Chanda Kaur - completed apprenticeship with ICAP
Reema Khamar - completed apprenticeship with Edison Group
Ward Lomas - completed apprenticeship with Eversheds
Jokum Manu - completed apprenticeship with ICAP
Zinhle Mathe - completed apprenticeship with Crowe Clark Whitehill
Sahib Meah - completed apprenticeship with Grant Thornton
Zachary Miller - completed apprenticeship with SQ Professional
Ismail Mohammed - completed apprenticeship with St Martin in the Fields
Imran Naing - completed apprenticeship with Johnson Matthey
Aamir Shiakh - completed apprenticeship with Eversheds
Devraj Singh Sira - completed apprenticeship with RSM
Zoynal Uddin - completed apprenticeship with Barclays
Charlee Vaz - completed apprenticeship with ICAP
Photos of the graduation can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/LeadershipTSBiz/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1270867316264503
For more information about joining CONEL’s Accounting Academy click here.