31 August 2020

Skills Training UK shortlisted for two awards at Tes FE Awards 2020

Skills Training UK is excited to announce that we have been shortlisted in two categories of the Tes FE Awards 2020 – for ‘Training Provider of the Year’ (which we were honoured to win in 2019) and ‘Apprenticeship Programme of the Year’.

The Training Provider of the Year category recognises high-quality teaching and learning, learner achievement, and business performance. Our entry highlighted strong performance in our three core streams of delivery: high-quality bespoke apprenticeship programmes which meet employer and employee needs; achieving positive destinations for 16-24s; and working with local communities to deliver impactful training and social mobility.

We have continued to innovate in our approach to designing and delivering apprenticeships programmes which we tailor in partnership with our clients across NHS Trusts, Local Authorities, Advanced Manufacturing, and other sectors.

During 2018/19 we increased social mobility for over 2,000 young people at risk of being NEET and who experience disadvantage. 82% of learners who joined either a Traineeship or Study Programme did not have a GCSE Grade 4/C or above in English and/or maths. Through individual mentoring, technical vocational qualifications and high-quality work experience, 61% progressed to a positive destination. The national average is 43% – DfE SFR.

Martin Dunford OBE, Chief Executive of Skills Training UK, said: “We are very pleased to be shortlisted by the TES FE Awards for both the Training Provider of the Year and Apprenticeship Programme of the Year categories, recognising the innovative, added-value approach we give to all areas of our work.”

The ‘Apprenticeship Programme of the Year’ category recognises strategic and innovative approaches to delivering apprenticeships, and the work being done to access new groups of potential apprentices and support them as they start their careers.

Our award entry underscored our market-leading collaborative approach to tackling the skills gap and ageing workforces in the Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) sector, a specialist field of Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering which is vital to ensuring safety standards in industries such as aerospace, automotive, energy, nuclear, oil and gas, and STEM sectors.

Over the past two years we have worked in partnership with industry body the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing and with the specialist training schools to introduce a simpler more cost-effective way for employers to train their employees and to recruit new talent. Our model includes a recruitment service which has inspired younger people to enter the industry, with 60% of NDT apprentices aged 16-24.

Martin Dunford OBE added: “Our trailblazing partnership work in the NDT sector is a fine example of Skills Training UK paving the way in developing and introducing innovative delivery models, fully embraced by employers.”

Ricardo Franckeiss, Group Training Officer at Sheffield Forgemasters International, one of Skills Training UK’s employer partners for NDT Apprenticeships, said: “The programme is well-structured, well-organised, and from the outset Skills Training UK were very employer-focused. The tutors are clearly very experienced and knowledgeable in their disciplines in NDT and Lean Manufacturing principles.”

More than 800 guests, including government ministers, are expected to attend the gala awards evening at Grosvenor House Hotel in London on Friday 20 March.

Tes FE editor Stephen Exley said: “Excellent practice exists right across the further education sector, and those shortlisted for the Tes FE Awards are the cream of the crop. Our judges were extremely impressed with the calibre of entries. To be shortlisted is an extraordinary achievement.”

To see the shortlisting in full, visit www.tes.com/news/tes-fe-awards-2020-shortlist-announced

Update 24 September 2020: The event is now being held online on Friday 16 October (8pm) due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

See here: https://www.tes.com/news/tes-fe-awards-2020-be-hosted-online-october