“We have some amazing and very talented staff” – Apprenticeships at Salford City College honoured at 2021 Learning Awards

The apprenticeships department of Salford City College has won gold at this year’s Learning Awards.

Apprenticeships at Salford City College were presented with the Learning Provider of the Year Gold Award in a virtual ceremony organised by the Learning and Performance Institute (LPI) last month.

The college’s head of apprenticeships Allan Milne said he was “incredibly proud” of his team.

He said: “It was a very special occasion.

“We have some amazing and very talented staff who care about making a very positive impact on the lives and careers of the apprentices and learners that we support, it was amazing to have this recognised.”

The Gold winner of the “Learning Provider of the Year” at the 25th Annual Learning Awards is @SCC_Apprentices
CONGRATULATIONS!

This award is sponsored by @IFC_org

Join the celebration using #learningawards pic.twitter.com/01OT7tPVRy

— The Learning Awards (@LearningAwards) February 18, 2021

The Learning Provider of the Year Award is given to organisations that provide learning services to external clients with consistent high quality and innovation.

Salford City Council originally suggested the team should be considered for the award.

Mr Milne explained: “We then had to undergo a rigorous application process.

“Following on from that, it was announced that we had been shortlisted into a group of six finalists.

“We were then invited to take part in an interview and present a presentation to a panel of learning and development executives representing the LPI.”

Unsurprisingly, the coronavirus pandemic was an important part of this year’s Learning Awards.

As well as forcing the event to take place online, Covid was a key aspect of the LPI executives’ judging criteria.

Mr Milne said: “A specific focus of the panel was how we have handled the challenge that the pandemic has created, again something our colleagues have embraced amazingly well.

“This was recognised by the panel as being a real strength.

“It has also ensured a greater motivation to ensure that we continue to help as many apprentices and learners as we can to achieve their career goals.”

Now, with the end of lockdown in sight, the team are looking forward to life at Salford City College returning to normal.

He said: “Colleagues have worked so hard to ensure that their apprentices and learners continue to progress and achieve despite the pandemic.

“We are looking forward to continuing the work that we do and seeing more apprentices achieve their full potential.”

The Learning Awards 2021 show, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, is available to watch here.

More information about Apprenticeships at Salford City College can be found on its website.