News27 February 2026
Our apprentices are so critical to our future. They enable us to increase and improve diversity.
If we look at the society we live in, the technology choices that we make today, will be the technology impacts and choices that we live with in 20 years from now.
The leaders that are making those decisions need to reflect the society that we live in.
The celebrations kicked off in Manchester with a brilliant ceremony in Ancoats. The event featured keynote speeches from Mark Smith, CEO; Susanna Lawson, Founder of OneFile and Ada Board Member; and Ada apprentices Leah Willan and Natasha Watkins.
Our resident DJ, Beth, also our Apprenticeship Delivery Administrator, kept the energy high while graduates and guests enjoyed food and drinks, with every apprentice taking a moment to capture the day in their graduation gown and cap.
This was a historic occasion for the college, marking the first-ever cohort of Ada apprentices to graduate in Manchester! The graduates from both Manchester and London deserve a huge congratulations! They’ve worked exceptionally hard throughout their three year apprenticeships and it’s just the start. We’re expecting big things from these pioneers as they move forward into their professional tech careers.
London had a similar celebration featuring speeches from Mark Smith, CEO; Aisling Teo, Director at Deloitte; and Ada apprentice Harshmeet Kaur.
One particular standout from the speeches was the powerful message from Aisling about her experience working with the Ada apprentices:
We love our apprentices for one or two very key reasons.
It’s because they push us, they challenge us, they bring fresh perspectives, and new ideas. They shape how we think, they shape how we work, and they shape how we innovate for our clients.
What I particularly like is they’re not shy about challenging us if they don’t think we’ve got it right.
The Ada journey doesn’t end at graduation. Our Ada alumni community is a strong network of over 700 graduates. Stay connected over on our Alumni page.
As always, we captured the magic of both events with live coverage and stories across our social media channels. If you would like to relive the highlights or see the full gallery of our graduates in action, head over to our Instagram page to see the best moments from two days of unforgettable celebration.