NCG Wins Purpose Coalition Award for Commitment to Social Mobility

NCG’s commitment to social mobility was recognised this week as it was presented with an award for the NCG Guarantee. 

The Purpose Coalition Breaking Down Barriers Awards 2025, which were held at the Houses of Parliament, recognise social mobility champions who are delivering opportunities for everyone, everywhere.  

15 awards were up for grabs, with each category aligned to one of the Coalition’s ‘Purpose Goals’, which set out the core barriers to opportunity and encompass a broad range of societal and economic issues. 

NCG, which was shortlisted in two categories, was named the winner in the ‘Positive Destinations for Post 16+’ category, for the transformative impact it has on thousands of learners through the NCG Guarantee and supporting students in all of our communities across the UK to gain essential employability and life skills. 
 
Sponsored by City & Guilds, a global leader in skills development, the NCG Guarantee is an established framework that articulates the advantage of being part of the NCG family of colleges to both students and to stakeholders.  It enables our students to validate the skills and knowledge they are developing through a diverse range of enhancement activities to be truly competitive in their next steps into education or employment opportunities within the context of a rapidly changing world. 

The NCG Guarantee was developed in 2021 through a cross-college Community of Practice for Enhancement, led by the Principal of Kidderminster College, Cat Lewis. It consists of five badges aligned to key principles of work readiness; Employability, Community, Enterprise, Mental Fitness, and Digital Literacy. The group sought to expand on the already comprehensive skills-based curriculum delivered at each college, using collaboration with employers and key stakeholders to provide a wide range of workshops, social action projects and community initiatives that would challenge students and broaden their experiences.   

Four years later, tens of thousands of students across NCG’s colleges are regularly benefitting from the NCG Guarantee. Last year, more than 11,000 young people took part in confidence-building public speaking workshops with LoudSpeaker and many have worked on projects with national charities and employers, contributing to both the social and economic success of their local regions. . This work also allowed NCG to be ahead of the curve in responding to Local Skills Improvement Plans across our regions, with increasing collaboration with employers to improve work-readiness skills being noted as a key theme in all LSIPs.  

Collecting the award on behalf of NCG was Executive Principal Tony Lewin, Digital Learning Manager Darrell Muir and Kidderminster College Tutor Tammy Randle, both of whom are active members of the Community of Practice for Enhancement 

Tony Lewin said: “NCG’s mission is to enable social mobility, and our colleges exist to create life-changing opportunities for the diverse communities they are part of.The NCG Guarantee is an excellent example of our commitment to guiding young people across our colleges toward positive post-16 destinations. Its success is down to collaborative work from colleagues across NCG’s colleges. That includes those who worked to develop the framework and all those who deliver the activities to our learners and support them every day.  

We are delighted to receive this award in recognition of the work we do through the NCG Guarantee. It illustrates the real impact that further education has on individuals and how we work nationally as One NCG to break down barriers and create opportunities for young people.” 

Cat Lewis, Principal of Kidderminster College and Lead for the Community of Practice for Enhancement, said: “I’m thrilled that the NCG Guarantee has been recognised through this special award.  What started as vision to empower students to be work-ready during the challenging days of the Covid lockdown has grown into a national framework that celebrates their brilliant achievements whilst also boosting their employability.  This award is testament to the hard work of colleagues across all of our colleges and the impactful collaboration we have facilitated with partners like LoudSpeaker. I very much hope that the NCG Guarantee continues to add value to our students’ futures”.  

Congratulating the winners, Chair of the Purpose Coalition and former Education Secretary, Rt Hon Justine Greening, said:  “Our winners all lead by example and I hope they will inspire others to step up to the plate and consider what they can do to make a difference for their colleagues, customers and the communities they serve, especially in these challenging economic and social times.” 

As part of its ongoing commitment to enabling social mobility, NCG is a member of Purpose Coalition's Breaking Down Barriers Commission which is shaping the role that businesses and organisations can play in breaking down the barriers to opportunity. CEO Liz Bromley is the College Sector Lead for the North East, working to help the FE Sector deliver opportunities to learners, colleagues and communities across the region for a fairer and more prosperous future.