Top Training Award for National Star College

National Star College has beaten off stiff competition to scoop a prestigious award for delivering outstanding training programmes.

The CPD (Continuing Professional Development) team from the National Star College has been named the National Training Awards 2011 South West winner in the Large Employer Category. The company will now compete against other organisations from across the country to become the ‘best of the best’ and claim the coveted ‘Winner of the Year’ accolade at the National Training Awards 25th Annual Ceremony, which takes place on 5 October at ExCeL London.

This year, National Training Award Winners will be provided with the unique honour of celebrating their success on a global stage at the world’s largest international skills competition, WorldSkills London 2011. This once in a lifetime event will enable NTA winners to demonstrate their commitment to developing skills and raising standards in workplace learning and showcase their success alongside other top international businesses and organisations.

Commenting on the Awards, Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning Minister John Hayes said: “The National Training Award winners show that firms that invest in workforce skills gain real dividends. Not only are their employees more motivated because they are happier in their work, but they reap the benefits of productivity, profitability and competitiveness.”

The 2011 National Training Awards celebrate and showcase Investors in People accredited employers that demonstrate organisational benefits gained by directly linking the training needs of their staff to the business needs of their organisation. Winning a National Training Award can directly impact on an organisation’s success. Forty percent of recent winners have seen bottom line benefits as a result of winning, with one in five stating that they had seen an increase in the number contracts secured following their Award and one in three stating that their organisations had become more efficient.*

Dawn Macey-Norris, Head of Professional Development at National Star College said:

“The Disability Confidence Training Scheme  launched in 2008 has enabled the college to deliver bespoke training for staff working with learners with complex physical disabilities. This specialised training program has given staff the skills to be disability confident enabling students to realise their potential. We are so pleased that the team’s hard work and expertise has been recognised with this fantastic award.”

The judging process of the National Training Awards is rigorous and closely relates to Investors in People criteria. All entrants go before a regional judging panel, made up of individuals with considerable knowledge and experience in training and development. Encompassing employers of all sizes and from across all sectors, the National Training Awards cover four categories:

• Macro Employer (1000+ employees)
• Large Employer (250 – 999 employees)
• Medium Employer (50 -249 employees)
• Small Employer (up to 49 employees)

For more information about the awards visit www.nationaltrainingawards.com.