A University of Leeds degree apprentice says the ‘learn while you earn’ route was invaluable in gaining a national award at the age of 22.
Ned Samuels, Corporate Business Development Manager for Splendid Hospitality Group, is in his fourth year of the Chartered Manager degree apprenticeship at Leeds.
In recognition of his rapid development, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) recently named Ned Samuels as ‘Emerging Manager of the Year’ at its inaugural award ceremony at the Waldorf Hilton Hotel, London.
The CMI gave the award to Ned for having “quickly established himself as a tenacious and self-driven professional, contributing to one of the UK’s fastest growing privately owned hotel groups.”
Ned started his hospitality career at 17, and just a year later joined the degree apprenticeship course, which is coordinated by the University’s Lifelong Learning Centre. The Degree Apprenticeship is a government-funded programme that combines on-the-job training with academic study.
During his short career, Ned has worked his way up within the group, from starting as a waiter to now leading the strategic expansion of the Corporate Travel and Events segments across the Splendid Hospitality Group hotel portfolio. The group owns 24 UK hotel properties, including the Hilton London Bankside, and The Grand, York.
As an ambitious teenager, he was already spending his spare time attending industry events and networking with local businesspeople.
Aged just 17, Ned approached the office of the then General Manager of The Grand, York, the only AA rated 5-star hotel in the city of York.
The approach paid off as Ned persuaded the hotel of the benefits of taking on a degree apprentice. He then needed to find the right training provider.
"I am very glad I chose the University of Leeds as my training provider.
Degree apprenticeships give an abundance of personal and professional opportunities, and I have enjoyed the opportunity of getting into the workplace and being student debt free.
He opted to join the University of Leeds, swayed by its Russell Group status.
“I met with the programme manager, Andy Richardson, and despite the course only usually taking on more mature and senior learners, he trusted in my development plan and commitment. I became the youngest candidate that my course had ever taken on.”
“I am very glad I chose the University of Leeds as my training provider. Degree apprenticeships give an abundance of personal and professional opportunities, and I have enjoyed the opportunity of getting into the workplace and being student debt free.”
“Degree apprenticeships require commitment and resilience, as apprentices balance full-time employment alongside academic study. Success demands strong organisational skills, effective time management and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
“I am a huge advocate of degree apprenticeships. I feel that institutions should give more young people the opportunity to get into the workplace sooner and provide alternative pathways to university learning.”
Providing ambitious young people with alternative routes into higher education and supporting them to achieve their career ambitions is something we are deeply passionate about.
Dom Millington, Head of Apprenticeships at the University of Leeds, said: “Ned embodies exactly why the University of Leeds sees degree apprenticeships as a core part of its educational offer. Providing ambitious young people with alternative routes into higher education and supporting them to achieve their career ambitions is something we are deeply passionate about. We are incredibly proud of Ned and all that he has accomplished so far.”
The Emerging Manager was a new category under the series of awards recognising exceptional leaders, managers, students, and transformative figures who demonstrate outstanding management excellence and professional growth.
The company put Ned forward for the award for his dedication and excellent performance.
“It was a great honour receiving this national award at the Waldorf Hotel in London,” said Ned.
“Hotels are a 24/7 industry and hospitality is a wonderful sector to develop in. You can get exposure to all aspects of business modelling, and there’s no other sector quite like it to build your interpersonal skills”.
Ned is now in his final year at the University and will graduate and be fully qualified once he has completed his dissertation in September.
Further information
For further information contact Jane Lewis in the University of Leeds’ Communications team by emailing jane.lewis3@leeds.ac.uk or contact the University press office at pressoffice@leeds.ac.uk