Students recognised for outstanding achievement in building careers

@BradfordCollege: “They should all be very proud of their achievements and know they can walk into their industry with their heads held high.” 

This was the verdict on four students who have overcome the challenges of online study to complete their qualifications and achieve certificates from the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) for Outstanding Achievement.

Tooba Noor, Team Leader for the Construction and Engineering department, said: “Considering the circumstances we were in this year, these students showed resilience and adaptability to change seamlessly.”

Haris Ali, Hassan Ahmed, Ashok Singh and Abdulrahman Ramran were all presented with certificates by Michael Brearey, Vice Chair of Leeds Hub of CIOB, at a presentation at the college’s Trinity Green campus.

Michael said: “I think it’s really great that despite everything, they have still completed their work to a very high standard and I feel honoured to be presenting them with the awards for their achievements.”

Abdelrahman Ramram completed a Higher National Diploma (HND) Level 4. He was awarded the certificate for being a full-time student that had come to construction from another field and juggled a large family as well as a part-time job to succeed.

Abdelrahman left his home country of Sudan in 2017. Unable to practise his original area of expertise – geology – in Sudan, he changed his career path to admin, but had a strong desire to go into construction. He said: “I wanted to be a role model for my children.”

The 44-year-old father of five added: “I want them to see they have a responsibility to have qualifications. I came to this country wanting to have a good career. I want to work hard to improve my family’s life and that’s why I wanted good qualifications.”

He also works as a volunteer case worker with the Red Cross, acting as an interpreter for Arabic-speaking people.

Haris Ali has completed his Level 5 HND Construction Management and is planning to move on to a degree course next year. He began studying at Level 3 and was given the CIOB student award for being one of the course’s “youngsters who had shown really good progression over the years, producing work to a high standard. He said: “I liked the environment at Bradford College and the teaching style of the tutors and lecturer.”

Hassan Ahmed has also received the certificate for good progression. Like Haris, he started studying at Level 3 and has now just finished his BSc Construction Management degree. He is also hoping to go into surveying or site management as a career.

The fourth student to achieve a certificate was Ashok, who has completed a HNC at Level 4. He was awarded the CIOB student award for being a mature student who performed extremely well, juggling work and family commitments.

The CIOB has close links with Bradford College, ensuring strong links between the curriculum and the industry and making sure students qualify with the skills needed for the construction workforce.

Michael, himself a former Bradford College student who studied for a Business and Business Studies degree, said: “It is always good to be able to give something back to the college.”

Martin Lofthouse, Curriculum Area Manager for Construction and Engineering, said: “It’s been a different kind of year for our students so to gain these awards is a big achievement. I think the determination and dedication they have shown in such difficult circumstances means they deserve this recognition and bodes well for careers in the construction industry.”

There are about 45,000 jobs up for grabs in Construction each year, including builder or carpenter, a surveyor or project manager.

Construction students at Bradford College learn in well-equipped workshops set up like a real construction site and use the same industry-standard equipment as the professionals do.