Capital City College wins College of the Year at Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards

The Apprenticeships team at Capital City College (CCC) has won the College of the Year award at the Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards.

Now in its 11th year, the Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards recognise multicultural British apprentices, their employers, and learning providers. The College of the Year award is one of three awards within the Learning Provider of the Year category, recognising excellence in apprenticeship training and support.

To date, the Apprenticeships team has:

• Supported 1,500 apprentices every year in training.
• Delivered more than 45 apprenticeship standards from Level 2 to Level 6.
• Worked with more than 600 employer partners, including NHS trusts, local authorities and major national businesses.
• Achieved a 69% apprenticeship achievement rate in 2024/25, the highest among further education colleges in London for the third consecutive year.

The team at CCC works closely with employers to design training that meets industry needs while providing apprentices with personalised support, one-to-one coaching, specialist careers guidance and workplace skills development.

Their approach helps apprentices from diverse backgrounds gain the skills, confidence and experience needed to progress into successful careers across sectors including hospitality, business, construction, engineering, healthcare and digital industries.

Debbie Houghton, Group Principal Apprenticeships, Partnerships & Innovation at CCC, said,

“We are incredibly proud to see our apprentices and Apprenticeship team recognised at the Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards. Their success reflects the strength of our partnerships with employers and our commitment to helping people from all backgrounds develop the skills they need to thrive in their careers. Recognition like this reinforces the vital role apprenticeships play in creating opportunity, developing talent and supporting employers across London.”

CCC’s success was also reflected in individual apprentice achievements.

For the Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Award, sponsored by Lifetime Training, two culinary apprentices from Capital City College were shortlisted. Diana Onyeka, who is completing her apprenticeship with Compass Group UK, and Kyrie Esmino, who is an apprentice with The Garrick Club, were both recognised by the judges, with Diana receiving a commendation. As part of their apprenticeship, they combine workplace training with study at CCC.

Sharon Barry, Group Head of School ‑ Apprenticeship & Culinary Arts at CCC, said:

“Since joining our college, Kyrie and Diana have demonstrated outstanding passion, motivation and commitment to developing their culinary careers. They continue to go from strength to strength, and we are incredibly proud to see our apprentices recognised at the Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards. These two young adults are wonderful role models for aspiring chefs and young people beginning their careers in the industry.”