Will, who now works on a variety of products for many leading brands as a bakery development technologist at David Wood Foods in Dudley, was presented with his Rising Star award by Strictly Come Dancing's Craig Revel Horwood, who hosted the BIA ceremony at London's Royal Lancaster Hotel on 21 October.

Sharing his impressive career journey with students at McIntyre House on Tuesday, Will now hopes this latest honour will help him inspire more young people to follow in his footsteps.

"This has given me a bit more recognition so others can see and aspire to it, and I can help them," he said.

Will delivered a guest talk for current Bakery and Patisserie Technology students at McIntyre House

Will's passion for encouraging the next generation into the baking industry has already seen him support University College Birmingham students on internships at his current firm and deliver guest talks at the University, while he even has dreams of working as a bakery lecturer later in his career.

"I was helped as a student by people in the industry," he said. "Now I've got to a position where I can help them progress with their future.

"It's about keeping the industry alive. Bread is always going to be around, but it's getting younger people to come through into it.

"The talk went really well and it was good to see the students asking lots of questions – you could see they were interested."