The importance of governors in setting the tone for a college

Early on in my chair career, the principal of Kensington and Chelsea College said to me that I “set the tone”. We were working through some difficult times together, absorbing justified local anger following the Grenfell tragedy. I didn’t really know what he meant at the time, but decided the best thing to do was to take it as a compliment!

I now see “tone” as the mood music setting up the great symphony that is a strong and positive organisational culture. I believe tone is quite strongly anchored in modelling behaviours and setting standards as a governor.

How do you talk to students and members of staff beyond the executive leadership team? Are you seen as an active listener? Are you prepared to challenge a board colleague who makes a casual but inappropriate remark either in or out of a board meeting?

Setting the tone can also be about softer cues like how you dress. A governor wearing a suit and tie might briefly attract the attention of college staff in a college building, especially if that governor doesn’t regularly wear a suit and tie. Staff might briefly wonder what’s going on in their college that day that a governor is dressing formally.

At Croydon College, we are well on our way to striking up our own grand symphony, in south London and more widely. We have focused hard on quality and on teaching and learning, and were delighted with our recent Ofsted ‘Good’ judgment – an excellent platform for our ambitious new strategic plan. This will all help to positively define our organisational culture.

Culture is famously the subject of hundreds of different definitions in academic literature. But we can be pragmatic about it. Critically for our sector, I see it as meaning that all staff including the executive team and governors understand and support what the organisation is trying to achieve.

This cannot happen unless the board and executive team work closely and productively together.

In many or even most organisations, however, wider staff might have only a general or limited understanding of the role of the board. Similarly, boards – no matter how much governors ‘take part in the life of the college’ – can only have a certain perspective on the organisation’s culture.

This is one of the ways you find yourself really enjoying the job

This means that governors must rely on insight and inputs from staff and the executive team in areas such as EDI and measures of staff morale to take an active part in helping shape and then monitor organisational culture.

It is also true that organisational culture will always substantially be shaped by the chief executive’s leadership. Therefore, how the board appraises and rewards the chief executive through its remuneration committee can also greatly influence the culture of your college.

And of course there is no point pretending that achieving or maintaining a great college culture is easy. Strategy alone can be hugely challenging, and as the famous saying goes, culture eats strategy for breakfast!

This is where setting the tone comes in. Relative to culture, tone is easy. Tone is entirely down to you. It’s individual, it can be authentic if you wish it to be. It can convey rigour as well as humour, and it’s a simple way to communicate standards and professionalism.

In fact, setting the tone should be one of the ways you find yourself really enjoying the job!

It can be sa apparently trivial as putting a bowl of fruit (or strictly one colour smarties) on the table for a board meeting. Or it can be as conspicuously important as defending your college and principal in the middle of a public challenge from an angry local authority chief executive.

Whatever the circumstance, the tone you set as chair in your college is a window that people look through to confirm their impression of the organisation’s culture.

All these notes – little and large – are what adds up to that symphony in the end. It’s important not to sound the wrong ones!

‘Herculean team effort’ lands top Ofsted marks for Suffolk college

A college in Suffolk that has a “strong vision to promote social mobility” has been judged ‘outstanding’ across the board.

Ofsted gave top marks to West Suffolk College in a report published today, praising leaders for “actively seek[ing] to work with the most disadvantaged individuals and groups to ensure nobody is left behind”.

The Bury St Edmunds-based college, which serves over 8,000 students, was praised for “transforming” the lives of “very many adults”. Inspectors said: “Not only do most of them achieve their qualifications, but they also develop their personal and social skills rapidly and securely.”

Students with high needs also “lead their lives with far greater independence and gain valuable new skills which support them into employment or further education and training”.

Nikos Savvas, CEO of Eastern Education Group, which West Suffolk College is part of, said: “I am so glad that Ofsted has recognised what I see every day. An amazing, talented, hardworking, selfless, and dedicated group of professionals, who transform our students’ lives for the better, day in day out.  

“Ofsted commented that in every conversation, every classroom, and every interaction they had, they saw leaders ambitious for their students, their college, and their community.”

Today’s report is an upgrade from the ‘good’ judgment the college last achieved in 2016.

Inspectors found the college makes a “strong” contribution to meeting skills needs, with leaders “carefully aligning” their priorities with those of the areas local skills improvement plan (LSIP).

Many students and apprentices join the college with “low aspirations, negative experiences of education and often highly challenging personal backgrounds”. Ofsted said they make “exceptional progress” in developing resilience, positive behaviours and confidence. 

As a result of their time at college, they become “highly ambitious and positive about their next steps and aspire to be the best they can be”.

The report further praised the college, which has several sites across East Anglia, for providing “state-of-the-art, industry-standard resources”, enabling students to “develop the skills they need to be highly confident and successful in the professional setting”.

SEND students feel “valued and respected” and achieve “even better than their peers”, according to report, with performing arts students with high needs, for example, receiving unconditional offers to study at highly prestigious drama institutions.

Governors were also commended for having a “broad and relevant skill set” that they use to support leaders “very effectively”. 

Savvas said the feat marks a unique treble achievement the Eastern Education Group, which operates two other ‘outstanding’ colleges in the region: One Sixth Form College and Abbeygate Sixth Form College.

“We believe that we are the only college group in the country to have undergone three inspections across three different locations in just under three years — and achieved three outstanding results.  It is a credit to everyone who works for Eastern Education Group,” he said.

Chair of governors, Elton D’Souza, said: “This fantastic result is the culmination of a herculean team effort by students, staff, and our partners working together.”

Why 16-19 education is a critical piece of the curriculum and assessment review puzzle 

When Professor Becky Francis presents her findings from the curriculum and assessment review next year, the media and commentators are likely to focus on their implications for school-aged children taking GCSEs and A levels.

However, it is crucial that the needs of 16- to 19-year-olds taking vocational and technical qualifications are not lost. Overlooking this critical phase risks neglecting a key part of the puzzle. 

The choices students make about their post-16 steps are shaped by their earlier experiences. A school curriculum that is overly narrow or focused solely on academic options risks closing off minds, as well as opportunity.  

While academic qualifications like A Levels, vocational qualifications like BTECs and technical qualifications like T Levels differ in content and structure, they share a common goal: to equip young people with the knowledge, skills and experiences to succeed in further education and the workforce.

And yet these routes are not currently valued or understood equally. The review must address this disparity, ensuring every pathway is seen as a viable, high-quality option, not just for students heading to university but also for those pursuing higher vocational or technical education, apprenticeships or direct employment. 

It is welcome that one of the review’s core aims is ensuring our young people are ready for a changing workplace. For this to truly succeed, the review must be part of a joined-up approach to policy development across Whitehall.  

Sir Keir Starmer’s mission-led approach to government aims to challenge siloed government departments – and the skills agenda is a central component here. The recent industrial strategy green paper underscored the critical importance of equipping people with skills for emerging sectors like digital, green technology and advanced manufacturing.

However, these ambitions risk stalling unless we provide the whole further education system – encompassing colleges, sixth forms and training providers – with the support and resources they need to thrive.

This will define young people’s futures and the strength of our economy

As an example, accelerating engineering as part of the UK economy will require 41,000 skilled engineers. This needs to be reflected in the curriculum, prioritising and supporting the pathways that will make this a reality. For example, 14,000 Level 3 BTEC National students take an engineering qualification each year and nearly 8,000 study a Higher National Certificate or Diploma.  

Too often, qualifications are reformed or defunded without sufficient consultation or consideration of the impact on learners and the wider skills system, or sufficient understanding of the role that 16-19 education plays in engaging our young people to positive paths through life in this crucial phase of their journey into adulthood.

That is why this review should prioritise not only clarity and consistency of purpose in 16-19 pathways but also ensure there is a strongly progressive, comprehensive suite of options for learners which will take them from wherever they are at age 16 to somewhere richer, higher and more successful.  

I was inspired by the incredible passion and commitment of the educators recognised at the recent Pearson national teaching awards. It’s clear to me that none of these changes will be possible without supporting and empowerting the dedicated teachers responsible for bringing the curriculum to life in both FE colleges and schools.

The curriculum and assessment review must prioritise the essential role of professional development, ensuring teachers are equipped to deliver high-quality, future-focused education. This requires not only access to training but also the removal of policy barriers that limit innovation and flexibility in the classroom. 

How we prioritise 16-19 education today will define young people’s futures and the strength of our economy. Whether their path is academic, vocational or technical, all young people deserve an education that equips them for a fast-changing world.

It’s time for policymakers to invest in bold, forward-thinking solutions that ensure every young person is prepared to thrive in the economy of tomorrow. 

Devolution white paper: Skills funding pots to be un-ringfenced

Devolution of adult skills funding is set to “go further” with plans to “un-ringfence” funding pots for skills bootcamps and the free courses for jobs offer.

The government’s English Devolution white paper, published today, also confirms that mayors will be given “joint ownership” of local skills improvement plans alongside employer representative bodies.

Deputy prime minister and secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, Angela Rayner, said the plans announced through the white paper will “rewire England” and devolved powers from central government to “those with skin in the game”.

Here’re the key bits about skills you need to know.

Strategic authorities

Further devolution will be underpinned by a “consistent” framework that creates a new legal definition: the ‘strategic authority’.

Under the plans, England will eventually be covered by strategic authorities – preferably run by directly elected mayors – who are responsible several “areas of competence” including ‘skills and employment support’.

The idea is that directly elected mayors “cannot be blocked” by a single council in their area, ensuring they can take “tough decisions”.

Authorities with devolution deals but no mayoral system, such as Cornwall, will be kept at the lower ‘foundation strategic authority’ level, with less flexible funding rules.

All of England’s existing mayoral authorities, mayoral combined county authorities and the Greater London Authority (GLA) will be classed as ‘mayoral strategic authorities’.

These will have the right to “unlock further devolution” by becoming ‘established strategic authorities’ which have greater spending flexibility known as ‘integrated settlements’.

Adult skills spending

The government will “remove ringfences” for adult skills funding to give “much more flexibility” over spending on education from 2026.

England has ten devolved authorities – the Greater London Authority and nine mayoral combined authorities – with devolved control of their adult education and skills spending for people aged 19 or over. Four more authorities are due to take control from August next year.

However, the funding is split into three main pots including the adult skills fund, free courses for jobs and skills bootcamps.

The government said today that for mayoral strategic authorities, it will combine and un-ringfence funding for the three funds from 2026/27 onwards.

For Established mayoral strategic authorities, this will form part of their “integrated settlements” (see below) from 2025/26 onwards.

Foundation authorities will however continue to receive devolved adult skills fund alongside ringfenced funding for free courses for jobs and skills bootcamps.

Integrated settlements

From March next year the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and West Midlands Combined Authority will be handed a single funding pot that for all of their services including skills.

They will have flexibility to move some of this funding between service areas and between years that their budget has been confirmed for.

16-19

Hopes from some mayors that more power over education funding for 16- to- 19-year-olds have not come to fruition.

Despite criticisms of a political system that “hoards power” in Westminster, the government says it will continue to “ensure that there is a national and consistent” approach to education and training for that age group.

However, mayors will be given “regular, structured opportunities” to participate in annual Department for Education conversations with colleges.

They can also use their “convening powers and influence” to secure work placements for young people.

Local skills improvement plans

Strategic authorities will be handed “joint ownership” of local skills improvement plans (LSIP), which until now have been produced and monitored by employer representative bodies, usually local chambers of commerce.

The white paper confirms that strategic authorities will establish “skills priorities” that will inform development of the plans.

LSIPs will be joined by a number of other national and regional plans already announced by the government.

These include local growth plans, focusing on economic development, and Get Britain Working plans, trialling different approaches to reducing economic inactivity.

National plans include the industrial strategy and post-16 skills strategy, which are both expected next year.

Today’s white paper does not mention whether LSIPs will be handed any further funding or how often they will need to be refreshed.

Employment and jobs

The white paper says the government will devolve funding for employment support to established strategic authorities, so they can “tackle inactivity”.

Mayoral strategic authorities will have a role in “co-designing” any future employment support that is outside of Jobcentre Plus.

The government will also “work in close partnership” with them in designing and developing the National Jobs and Careers Service, which is a planned merger of Jobcentre Plus and the National Careers Service.

Several areas have already been designated trailblazers to test different youth guarantee approaches and Get Britain Working plans.

Watchdogs call for EHCPs to include preparation for adulthood plans

Education, health and care (EHC) plans should include preparation for adulthood arrangements, two watchdogs have said after finding a “cliff edge” in support still exists for young people with SEND.

A new Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) joint thematic review has confirmed that “systemic” barriers persist for people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), with many falling out of work, employment or training after they leave the school system.

The report recommends that the Department for Education (DfE) should include preparation for adulthood section in national EHC plan templates to ensure earlier planning is considered across the country.

The department should also issue national guidance to ensure there is a “transitional” period of support to reduce the number of “abrupt” cut offs for some young people.

It comes as the new government searches for solutions to the crisis in SEND support, which includes widespread local authority deficits in high needs budgets reaching an estimated £3.6 billion this year, delays in approving EHC plans, and a lack of “clear actionable plan” under the last government.

But local partnerships and national government have long been aware of “serious weakness[es]” in services for young people with SEND who are transitioning to adulthood.

‘Cliff edge’ continues

In 2021, FE Week highlighted similar concerns about “confusion” at transition points, when support often abruptly ends, in a series of area SEND inspection reports by Ofsted and the CQC.

Today’s report reiterated that “too many young people face a ‘cliff edge’ in health support” once they turn 18, and called for more joined-up working across local area partnerships.

Ofsted and CQC looked closely at the effectiveness of six anonymised local area partnerships, which are groups including local authorities, schools, colleges and NHS bodies that are responsible for planning, commissioning and providing services.

The watchdogs also considered over 2,400 survey responses from children, young people, parents and practitioners.

Overall, areas with stronger local partnerships started preparation for adulthood early, took an “all age” approach to SEND support, and worked collaboratively between organisations.

Weaker partnerships failed to jointly commission or coordinate services, didn’t effectively communicate with parents about local services, and were “slow to initiate transition” from children’s to adult health services.

The report’s key findings were that support was worse for young people in mainstream education who did not have an EHC plan.

Some children reported how school leaders had chased DfE accountability measures such as the EBacc, which encourages take up of key academic subjects such as English, maths and science. This meant “limited vocational study options” were available.

Expand supported internships

The report also calls for expanded supported internships, which usually include a work placement and a job coach’s support for up to a year, because they offer “positive experiences” of work for a group who are less likely to sustain employment after key stage 4.

But take up of internships on offer was “hampered” because the EHC plan would “end” once they entered employment, the report found.

Practitioners and parents were also “frustrated” because young people with SEND but no EHC plan were unable to get an internship at all.

Historic data shows the DfE has gradually increased the number of internships on offer from about 200 per year in 2013-14, to 2,500 in 2020-21.

While some see them as a positive experience for young people with SEND, the data suggested that only about a quarter of participants entered employment in the year after completion.

Alongside its plans to increase annual internship figures to 4,500 per year this year, DfE has also commissioned an external evaluation which is ongoing.

Interim findings suggest that almost half of 49 interns in the first cohort had a job in the six months after the end of their internship’s academic year. One third of the second cohort of 85 interns had a job at the end of their internship.

Level 3 announcement is a shot in the arm for sector unity

Yesterday’s announcement on the reform of Level 3 qualifications has brought the sector some much-needed good news.

One of the Protect Student Choice campaign’s three recommendations for the Level 3 review was to scrap the plan to introduce constraints on combining different types and sizes of qualification.

That recommendation was accepted in full, and colleges will retain responsibility for deciding the combination of qualifications that can be included in study programmes. There was a welcome acknowledgement from ministers that colleges and schools are best placed to “devise the best mix for individuals”.

It was also good to see that 13 of the 21 applied general qualifications (AGQs) prioritised by the campaign will not be scrapped next year. That means, for example, one more year of enrolling students on the diploma and extended diploma in health and social care, applied science and IT.

That’s one more year than would have been possible under the previous government and colleges and schools will be pleased that these Cycle 1 courses will continue to be available.

Although the campaign had pressed for these qualifications to be retained for two more years, we understand that the small and medium-sized AGQs that have been approved will in most cases continue to be available as reformed versions – typically alternative academic qualifications – in the future.

There is also a collective sigh of relief about qualifications in Cycle 2. There are 79 AGQs in Cycle 2 with around a quarter of a million enrolments (three times as many as Cycle 1) and hundreds of other Level 3 courses.

Decisions on these qualifications will be made as part of the curriculum and assessment review, but it is good to have the reassurance that they will not be defunded until 2027 at the earliest.

That brings some much-needed certainty for AGQs in business, law and criminology in the short to medium term, alongside other Level 3 qualifications such as uniformed protective services.

We still have to make the case for a true three-route model

The situation we find ourselves in today feels very different to the situation at the start of term. A review without a pause meant colleges and schools were holding open evenings and finalising prospectuses without knowing which qualifications they were able to offer in 2025.

We now have a greater degree of certainty and the reassurance that we will have a much longer lead time to plan for potential changes to qualifications in Cycle 2.

It is clear that we still have to make the case for a genuine three-route model, in which applied qualifications play a role that is equally important to that of A and T Levels. The Protect Student Choice campaign partners will reconvene in the new year to decide how best to drive home that message.

But for now, we must acknowledge and welcome the changes that ministers and officials have made in this vital area.

We must also reflect on the enormous impact that the education sector can have when it speaks with one voice. The Protect Student Choice coalition is almost unprecedentedly broad: students, schools, colleges, universities, trade unions, employer groups and, of course, FE Week. But it has a common purpose: to ensure that every young person can access a high-quality pathway to higher education or skilled employment.

This week we collectively took a big step towards that objective, in no small part because of the contribution to the campaign made by college staff and students.

The Protect Student Choice coalition is pleased to end the year with some welcome and positive news that positions us well for our campaigning work in the new year.

30 colleges risk private school VAT trap

Fresh fears have emerged that dozens of colleges may be snared by Labour’s private school fee VAT rules.

Government guidance on its finance bill, which is making its way through Parliament, says it is “confident” its current definition of a private school “does not capture” FE colleges.

However, the guidance also warns that FE colleges which have chosen to apply VAT rules set out in a complex 2020 tax court ruling involving the Colchester Institute “could” be counted as private schools.

It states: “[FE] Institutions can, if they choose to, apply the conclusion of the Upper Tribunal in Colchester, which would result in them treating the public funds they receive as business income. 

“This could bring these institutions within scope of this policy, as this income would be treated as consideration for the provision of education. 

“However, FE institutions should carefully consider this decision and ensure they understand what their new VAT obligations would be and the financial implications of this.”

There are about 30 unidentified colleges understood to have applied the rules from the 2020 ruling on a dispute between the HMRC and Colchester Institute.

A HMRC spokesperson told FE Week that colleges have until January 1 to decide whether to begin charging VAT for the first time.

Increased VAT cost risks

College income from fee-paying and government grant-funded students is currently exempt from VAT.

So being caught up under the new definition of a private school could have a significant impact on a college’s VAT returns.

Ian Brown, VAT director at S3TAX, said some FE colleges risk being “caught up” in this definition by HMRC.

He added: “How the government legislated for this surprised everyone, there’s an uncertainty around the risk for some FE colleges.

“Between Colchester, the private school legislation and HMRC’s application of VAT to private schools there’s uncertainty all around at the moment.”

What was the Colchester dispute?

The 2020 court ruling stemmed from a claim the Colchester Institute made for VAT paid on a large building project in the 2010s using a rule known as the ‘Lennartz mechanism’.

The result of the ruling – which set a precedent for similar cases – was that the tax treatment of grant-funded education shifted from being defined as a “non-business activity” to a “business activity”.

This change in legal definitions means that colleges no longer have the right to claim significant discounts on their VAT bills, known as “reliefs”, which include a zero rate for new buildings and a reduced rate for fuel and power.

However, soon after the 2020 ruling, HMRC said it acknowledged the court decision but would not impose the new rules on colleges while it mounted a new “test” appeal.

Following Colchester carries the risk of a large future tax bill, as HMRC vowed to “protect its position to secure tax revenues” and plans to take the case to the Court of Appeal.

Colleges already at a disadvantage

The dispute highlights wider concerns about the tax status of FE colleges, which suffer an estimated £200 million per year on irrecoverable VAT, leading to complaints that they are on an unfair financial footing compared to schools and academies which can reclaim VAT in full.

Julian Gravatt, deputy chief executive at the Association of Colleges, said apart from the Bank of England, colleges are the only public institutions that cannot reclaim their VAT, putting their students “at a disadvantage” compared to their academy counterparts.

He added: “Private school VAT rules add to the complexity and the HM Treasury October 2024 update helpfully exempts publicly funded institutions but leaves a doubt about those who entered into Lennartz arrangements and we’re awaiting clarification”.

Another layer of complexity

Socrates Socratous, a VAT consultancy partner at Buzzacott, told FE Week that private school legislation has added “another layer of complexity” to VAT rules for colleges, including those that specialise in special needs.

He said: “I think part of the problem may well be that the introduction of VAT on private school fees has been rushed through and its full implications haven’t been considered.

“The guidance that HMRC have issued is proving quite difficult to interpret because there are a lot of grey areas that they are sitting on the fence on.

“Private school VAT rules add to the complexity and the HM Treasury October 2024 update helpfully exempts publicly funded institutions but leaves a doubt about those who entered into Lennartz arrangements and we’re awaiting clarification.”

MPs give Sir Ian Bauckham the nod for Ofqual top job

MPs have given Sir Ian Bauckham the nod to continue as the chief regulator for Ofqual.

Parliament’s education committee today agreed that Bauckham, government’s preferred candidate to continue leading the exams watchdog, is “appointable to the post”.

The committee said it hopes he “fulfils his commitment to serve a full term in office and restore much-needed stability” to Ofqual, after a churn of chief regulators in recent years. 

Bauckham, who attended a pre-appointment hearing earlier this week, has been serving as interim chief regulator but has now been approved to do the role permanently. 

His “ambition to enhance Ofqual’s reputation further to be ‘ever more trusted by the public and by students as the guardian of safe, fair and trustworthy qualifications’ is welcome,” MPs added.

Greenlighting the appointment, the committee noted his “extensive experience in schools in leadership roles” and “significant contributions to the education sector”.

He took over the role of chief regulator in January 2024.  Before that, he had served as chair of the board of Ofqual from January 2021 and had been a board member from March 2018. 

“He told us that his roles in schools had provided him with a good understanding of the educational landscape and a deep appreciation of the value of qualifications,” MPs added. 

Bauckham previously led Tenax Schools Trust, a multi-academy trust. He is also chair of Oak National Academy, an arm’s-length body of the DfE.

Apprenticeship and Training Awards 2025 finalists revealed

Finalists for this year’s record-breaking Apprenticeship and Training Awards have been revealed.

Formerly known as the AAC Apprenticeship Awards, over 600 nominations were submitted from employers, training providers, colleges and universities, nearly doubling last year’s tally.

Run jointly by FE Week and the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) and delivered in partnership with City and Guilds, the eighth annual awards celebrate top-of-the-class training, outstanding outreach and exceptional employers.

This year’s categories celebrate innovative training, employer support for social mobility, and excellence in learner support, alongside the coveted awards for employer and provider of the year.

Lloyds Banking Group, Bagnalls, London Ambulance Service and Pendennis Shipyard are this year’s finalists for large employer of the year.

Meanwhile Cardiff and Vale College, Merseyside Fire and Rescue, Salford City College Group and Truro and Penwith College are each up for apprenticeship provider of the year.

And either Learning Curve Group, Baltic Apprenticeships, Catch or Pearson TQ will be named training provider of the year.

Finalists were selected by a 20-strong panel of judges including AELP’s CEO Ben Rowland, apprenticeship influencer Holly Hobbs, former skills minister Anne Milton and UCAS head of apprenticeships Lindsay Conroy.

A parliamentary reception will take place at the House of Commons as part of National Apprenticeships Week in February to recognise this year’s finalists. The winners will be announced at the Apprenticeships and Training Conference gala dinner and awards evening on March 11 in Liverpool.

Shane Mann, chief executive of FE Week’s publisher EducationScape, said: “I know I speak on behalf of all the judges in pointing out what a tough job we had this year. We saw so many examples of great practice from employers and training organisations thinking outside the box, taking risks, and genuinely putting their learners first.

“Congratulations to all finalists. I look forward to celebrating your achievements at the parliamentary reception next year before announcing the winners at the Apprenticeships and Training Conference in Liverpool.”

The awards have been refreshed with a host of new categories.

PTP Training, Exeter College, Serco and South Essex Colleges Group are up for innovation in training delivery.

Battling it out for the outstanding apprenticeship programme of the year are Cardiff City Football Club, EMTEC Automotive Apprenticeships (part of Nottingham College), Gateshead College and Northern Trains.

The awards will also mark the best workplace readiness scheme, specialist training provider of the year and best new apprenticeship programme.