Almost exactly a year ago, Khalid Mahmood, then a security officer at HMCTS, took home our internal Apprentice of The Year Award, in part for achieving a Distinction in his Level 3 training. Today, we caught up with him ahead of our 2024 Apprentice of The Year Award celebration to see how he’s been since taking home the trophy.
Khalid, now aged 55, began a career in security in 1998, joining OCS as a security supervisor in 2020 following an acquisition. With over two decades of experience, he wanted to take the next step in his professional journey to become a security manager. After completing various e-learning modules provided by the OCS Academy, Khalid’s line manager encouraged him to apply for a security first-line manager Level 3 apprenticeship.
With the opportunity to learn remotely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Khalid was able to use the downtime to build his knowledge, skills and experience. Unfortunately, just a few months after he completed the apprenticeship, he suffered from a serious illness that led to a stay in hospital and subsequent treatment. Despite this being a challenging time in Khalid’s life, he comments that the apprenticeship helped him a lot.
“The OCS management team were very supportive and helpful. They looked after me like a family member. I had all the equipment and resources I needed to continue my work. I was able to carry out my tasks remotely in combination with any learning – and I had close contact with my line manager (Carl Hibbert). I’m a religious person and believe this is the plan God had for me. I haven’t come across many security companies that care for their people as much as OCS does.”
Khalid has always taken his career development seriously. As English isn’t his first language, he has undertaken learning to improve his vocabulary and maths. The latter was especially challenging as he originally studied it in Urdu in his birth country of Pakistan. His hard work paid off as he was able to achieve a Level 2 in Maths and English – a requirement for most apprenticeship courses.
During his apprenticeship, he was trained on the different aspects of security management. This included carrying out risk assessments, managing people, prioritising tasks, handling investigations and completing reports. Now, when it comes to his day-to-day responsibilities, he shares: “I have both the experience and confidence to put the theory into practice. This has been hugely positive for my career as I wouldn’t be able to do all of these tasks if I didn’t enrol on the apprenticeship.”
After achieving a grade distinction in the level 3 apprenticeship, Khalid was nominated for the 2023 Apprentice of the Year Award at OCS’s annual ceremony – and won! He is currently working towards a level 5 apprenticeship. As a champion of apprenticeships, Khalid mentors other colleagues who have enrolled on the programme. His advice for individuals who are considering starting an apprenticeship is:
“Embarking on this journey is an empowering experience. Achieving your end goal requires dedication and commitment. Embrace your mistakes as valuable lessons and see every challenge as a golden opportunity. The skills you gain along the way will be priceless for your career development. And remember, the beauty of learning is that no one can ever take it away from you. Keep pushing forward and remember your potential.”
