NCG Selected to Join WorldSkills Centre of Excellence

NCG has been selected to join the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence, an initiative that aims to raise standards in technical education through sharing international best practice.

Partnered and co-funded by educational charity and awarding body NCFE, the programme launched in 2020 and now boasts 48 member institutions throughout the UK.

Lecturers at six of NCG’s seven colleges will directly benefit from the Centre of Excellence community, through skills development workshops and CPD programmes that aim to inspire them to teach with passion and purpose. Last year, 82% of lecturers in the programme said it had helped them make positive changes to their teaching and training practice.

In return, students will be better equipped to meet the needs of a future skills economy, something that is at the core of NCG’s mission to enable social mobility and economic prosperity through exceptional education.

The training benefits go way beyond technical skills. Last year, over 75% of students at Centre of Excellence institutions said they were now determined to complete their studies, four-fifths (86%) felt the skills they learnt directly applied to their education and work, and 80% felt it had applied to other parts of their life.

NCG has had a long-standing relationship with WorldSkills UK. Dozens of students across its colleges have competed in regional and national competitions which has helped boost their skills and confidence. Past award winners have included Newcastle College’s Jordan Condren and David Crank, who won silver and bronze respectively, in the roof slating and tiling competition in 2019. Carlisle College have sent two joinery apprentices to the finals in the past two years, Nell Tomlinson to last year's WorldSkills UK and Ross Fiori, who progressed to represent Team UK in WorldSkills 2022, held in Switzerland. Ross was awarded a Medallion of Excellence from the judges, recognising internationally high standards of work.

Recognising the benefits that taking part in competitions like WorldSkills UK brings its students, NCG developed its own inter-college skills competition. NCG Skills gives students across six of its colleges an opportunity to gain work experience, develop their practical skills and improve their employability skills by competing against peers for a chance to compete in WorldSkills UK.

Developed with funding from Crescent Publishing Consortium and support from NOCN and a range of employer partners from L’Oreal to EPA Construction, NCG Skills was launched in 2020. Its individual colleges hold regional heats before the winners progress to compete against students from other NCG colleges in a national final. Those winners are then put forward for a place in the national WorldSkills UK competition.

Steve Wallis, Executive Director of Quality at NCG commented: “We’re thrilled to join the Centre of Excellence and a community that is dedicated to driving up standards in technical education.

“WorldSkills, and skills competitions in general, are becoming an integral element of our delivery at NCG, to encourage our learners and apprentices to test their new knowledge and skills, against national and international standards, under competitive pressures. We hope that this work will also support the learners' preparation for end examinations, improve competence, and support their wider development and employer readiness.

“The participation with WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence will only strengthen our delivery standards, and the access to specialist skills educators will add significant value.”

Dr Bentley-Gockmann OBE, CEO of WorldSkills UK said: "The Centre of Excellence is a huge success and oversubscribed every year. It's a radical new way of bringing global insights to local economies, supporting young people the length and breadth of the UK. In order to deliver the world-class skills that employers demand to be internationally competitive, we need to invest in the educators who are training young people for the future.

“Mainstreaming excellence in training standards and delivering directly to tens of thousands of young students and apprentices at their places of learning is key to attracting inward investment and bringing high-quality jobs to more parts of the UK to help boost economic growth.”

David Gallagher, Chief Executive at partner and co-funder NCFE, said “I’m delighted to see NCG join the World Skills UK Centre of Excellence. Outstanding educators are essential to achieving a technical education system that creates positive change and unlocks potential.

“The initiative supports the UK-wide delivery of leading practice in the technical and vocational space, with more institutions and educators joining the programme each year. This focus on ‘excellence’ is crucial for the UK to grow a prosperous ‘Skills Economy’ that will drive productivity and our global competitiveness.”