Real Group wins Work-Based Learning Provider of the Year award at the University of Greenwich Employability and Careers Excellence Awards

On Friday, 5th June, Real Group colleagues had the privilege of attending the University of Greenwich’s inaugural Careers & Community Excellence Awards held at the beautiful chapel of St Peter and Paul in London. We were extremely pleased to be recognised with the  Work-Based Learning Provider of the Year award.

The Careers & Community Excellence Awards is a flagship event hosted by the University of Greenwich’s Employability & Apprenticeships and the Marketing and External Relations team to celebrate excellence across the community. From employability and apprenticeships to partnerships, mentoring and alumni engagement, the evening recognised the individuals and organisations making a real difference.

The award follows a nomination from Shiyon Suresh, who is about to enter his final month of a ten month work placement in the role of AI Applications Project Coordinator at Real Group.  Shiyon is helping Real Group companies accelerate the strategic use of AI, and has managed projects such as delivering automated tools for market analysis and manager updates that have saved the organisation over 10 hours a week! In addition to co-creating a Gemini GEM, to serve as a strategic sounding board for managers, he has driven internal AI innovation and awareness forward through company-wide readiness surveys and monthly newsletters.

His contributions have also included attending Hackathons such as the AWS Summit London 2026 and Bett London 2026 and helping to shape the company’s internal guidelines for the safe and responsible use of AI tools such as Gemini.

Dr Mark Turner, Managing Director of Real Group, said:

“Witnessing Shiyon’s nomination evolve into a win for us as Work-Based Learning Provider of the Year is an incredibly rewarding milestone for us. Young people face multiple barriers starting a career in the current job market; we view it as a moral responsibility for organisations to do all they can to help provide practical experience and training through work placements, internships and apprenticeships.” 

“Shiyon has shown us how much potential there is for Real Group companies to grow in new ways using AI and we have been lucky to benefit from his obvious passion and growing depth of expertise in this area.”

Speaking about the win, Shiyon said:

“When I nominated Real Group, I did so because my placement experience has been nothing short of transformative. From day one, Dr. Mark Turner and the entire team have provided a culture of limitless learning and unparalleled support. Instead of confining me to a rigid role, they consistently encouraged me to push beyond my limits, embrace my potential, and experiment with new ideas.

Beyond my core responsibilities, they gave me the incredible opportunity to collaborate closely with the IT department on various advanced tasks, allowing me to build an entirely new set of technical skills and confidence.

I am deeply grateful, humbled, and so proud to be part of such an incredible team!”

Head of IT Systems, John Reid, attended the event with Shiyon and accepted the award on behalf of the company. Discussing his time working with Shiyon, John stated:

“One of the many joys of working with work placement students is how it brings together the opportunity to develop and learn. By working with Shiyon we have had opportunities to work on development that otherwise could have been put aside. We all reap the benefits of learning together, as Shiyon can bring in new ideas while we offer our knowledge and experience. 

As an organisation relatively new to supporting young people in workplace learning, it’s a tremendous honour to even be nominated for Work-Based Learning Provider of the Year. On a personal note, I have no doubt that Shiyon will move on to bright things and wish him all the best with his ongoing studies.”

We’d like to thank Shiyon once again for his nomination, and would also like to wish him  the best of luck with the rest of his placement and the very best for his career.