PlanBEE Receives Queen Elizabeth Prize for Higher and Further Education
Ryder Architecture celebrates receiving a prestigious Queen Elizabeth Prize for Higher and Further Education at St James’s Palace.
After being notified that PlanBEE was awarded a prestigious Queen Elizabeth Prize for Higher and Further Education in November, the award was presented by His Majesty The King at a ceremony at St James’s Palace on 24 February.
Mark Thompson, principal and managing director at Ryder, attended the ceremony representing all the companies who have sponsored the programme. Gateshead College principal, David Alexander, and PlanBEE’s first programme leader, Steve Logan, accepted the award from His Majesty King Charles and Her Majesty Queen Camilla. A group of PlanBEE apprentices and graduates were also in attendance and shared how they are excelling in their early years in design, management and construction.
Developed in partnership between Gateshead College and Ryder, PlanBEE was launched in 2016 to help attract and retain talent in the built environment and construction sector and solve the skills shortage the industry is facing.
Backed by a consortium of over 70 leading businesses across the UK, the programme combines academic study at the college with hands-on experience at leading industry employers.
As the first programme of its kind, apprentices undertake six distinct four-month placements across roles such as architecture, engineering, project management, quantity surveying and digital design.
