Posted: 19/03/10
Businesses celebrate awards success
High-performing businesses and staff celebrated scooping top honours at West Nottinghamshire College’s second annual Employer Engagement Awards.
Employees of local, regional and national companies took to the stage at Ringwood Hall, Chesterfield, to collect awards across a range of categories.
Business leaders and college partners also attended the glittering event, held on Friday 12 March to celebrate the college’s successful training links with employers and the contribution this makes to commerce and industry.
More than 30 awards were presented across categories including the Principal’s Award, Commitment to Overall Workforce Development, Outstanding Customer Service, Innovation in Teaching and Learning and Learner of the Year.
Local winners were:
- Tracey Cooper, owner of Mossop’s hair salon in Mansfield Woodhouse, won the Commitment to Overall Workforce Development Award in recognition of the support she provides to apprentices under her management;
- Ollerton-based Center Parcs saw three members of staff scoops awards. Natalie Wilford, a retail apprentice at the Sherwood holiday village, won the 16-18 Apprentice Learner Award, while assistant restaurant manager Nathaniel Webbe and chef de partie Esmeralda Monarca – who both work at the company’s Elveden Forest holiday village in Suffolk – walked away with the 19+ Apprentice Learner Award and Work-Based Learner Award respectively.
- Rosanna Stanforth, a cook supervisor with Nottinghamshire County Council, received the Learner of the Year award for her excellent standards as a professional cook and in her studies at the college. Rosanna, of Hucknall, was praised for winning the regional finals of the 2009 Care Cook of the Year competition and coming third in the national finals;
- Alfreton-based training and development company Qualitrain Ltd was presented with an Outstanding Timely Success award.
Awards were also presented to several West Nottinghamshire College staff including:
- Head of employer responsiveness Mandy Mayle won the Principal’s Award for helping take the college’s apprenticeship success rates to more than 20% above the national benchmark, while its contract simultaneously grew from £1m to £4m;
- Marcus Topley and Sheena Rogers bagged Outstanding Teaching and Learning awards while Emma Swan scooped the Innovation in Teaching and Learning award.
National companies receiving awards included Arriva, First UK Bus, Balfour Beatty, Bombardier and DB Schenker.
Awards were presented by Gregg Moreton, regional manager of Proskills; college principal and chief executive Asha Khemka OBE and Valerie McKay, special projects manager at Nottinghamshire Training Network.
Keynote speakers were John Cridland CBE, deputy director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Clare Hannah, head of organisational development at DB Schenker; the major provider of rail freight services in Great Britain and one of the college’s largest employer partners.
Graham Howe, director of employer engagement at West Nottinghamshire College, said: “Our partnership approach to skills training is regarded as a model of best practice and the most effective way of helping businesses to develop the skills and knowledge of their employees.
“By building an in-depth knowledge of our employer partners and using trainers with sector expertise, we’ve been able to deliver measurable business benefits, both for the medium and long-term.
“Consequently, we’ve become the college of choice for many local, regional and national employers. We continue to develop the skills of workforces across a range of sectors while tackling the employability agenda and making sure businesses are prepared for the future.
“The awards ceremony was a fitting celebration of these successful partnerships.”
West Nottinghamshire College provides bespoke workforce development programmes to almost 600 businesses across the UK; with over 8,000 employees achieving a wide range of programmes including apprenticeships, advanced apprenticeships, NVQs and Skills for Life qualifications in the last year.
The full list of winners is:
Employer Awards
- Commitment to Overall Workforce Development:Mossops Hair Salon and Balfour Beatty
- Commitment to Skills for Life Training: Arriva Southern Counties
- Commitment to Equality and Diversity: First UK Bus
- Recognisable Return on Investment: Bombardier Transportation
- Overall Winner: D B Schenker
Learner Awards
- Learner Award 16 – 18 Apprentice: Natalie Wilford, Centre Parcs
- Learner Award 19+ Apprentice: Nathaniel Webbe, Center Parcs
- Learner Award Work Based Learner Award: Esmeralda Monarca, Center Parcs
- Learner Award Lifelong Learning: Sean Levell, D B Schenker
- Learner of the Year: Rosanna Stanforth, Nottinghamshire County Council
Delivery and Support Awards
- Outstanding Customer Service: Tony Hone, Construct HR
- Outstanding Union Learning Representative: Dave Hubbard, Arriva Midlands
- Outstanding teaching and Learning: Marcus Topley and Sheena Rogers, West Nottinghamshire College; and Keith Warbey, Base 4 Operations Ltd
- Outstanding Timely Success: Qualitrain, Eckington, QA Associates, Balfour Beatty, Construct HR, Richard Owen, CIF, Rhino Training
- Innovation in Teaching and Learning: Emma Swan, West Nottinghamshire College
- Principal’s Award: Mandy Mayle, West Nottinghamshire College
