FURTHER EDUCATION CHARTERED STATUS AWARDED TO NWSLC
North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC) has been recognised for the high quality of its further and higher education skills provision and has been awarded chartered status by the Chartered Institution for Further Education, the only organisation in the UK with royal assent to provide chartered status to FE providers. This has been achieved through multiple partnerships with stakeholders including the Coventry & Warwickshire LEP, the Leicester and Leicestershire LEP, Colleges West Midlands, the West Midlands Combined Authority and WorldSkills UK. Its specialisms include engineering, digital, logistics and supply chain, health and life sciences and creative arts.
NWSLC has been rated as a ‘Good’ college with outstanding features since 2019 and has recorded high levels of satisfaction amongst students through FE Choices and National Student Survey research. It works with over 500 employers providing skills training, apprenticeships, and work experience and is building its portfolio of industry placements, a key feature of the new T Levels. NWSLC supports local schools in Warwickshire and Leicestershire through its sponsorship of the Midland Academies Trust. The college achieved Gold status for Investors in People in 2021.
With a strong track record of working collaboratively and in partnership with industry, NWSLC has led on the launch of the MIRA Technology Institute which provides in-demand skills to support the ‘green revolution’ in automotive sector including advances in connected, autonomous, and electric vehicles. It has brought together a partnership of logistics and supply chain organisations to launch the Centre for Logistics Education and Research (CLEAR) at Magna Park in Lutterworth. The college operates a Digital Skills Academy in partnership with Coventry University to create a supply of skilled individuals to this growing sector. In addition, the college is involved with the regeneration of Nuneaton as part of the government’s Towns Fund initiative and plans to move some of its core provision to the town centre.
Marion Plant, OBE FCGI, Principal and Chief Executive of NWSLC said, “Successfully achieving chartered status is a fantastic accolade for the college and we are proud to join the Institution. NWSLC has a long history of engagement with its local community, serving the skills requirements of employers and working with our partners to develop high standards of further and higher education across our region.
“Students and apprentices at NWSLC benefit from our extensive contacts with local, regional, and national employers, and professional and technical skills are embedded within our culture. Accredited as a member of the WorldSkills Centre of Excellence, NWSLC is one of the leading English colleges in WorldSkills UK skills competitions.
“We hope that chartered status will enable us to take advantage of the latest developments in further and education skills delivery and look forward to working with our peers within the Institution in the future.”
In addition, NWSLC serves its community by offering alternative provision for pupils at risk of exclusion from school, and also a part-time programme for pupils who have elected to be home-educated. The college works closely with the Church of England Education Board and its voluntary work within the community has been recognised through its involvement with the ‘Good for Me, Good for FE’ scheme.
The Chartered Institution for Further Education was established to highlight the excellence of further education and skills training providers. It works alongside industry to influence and shape the national skills system, to ensure that professional education providers are recognised as the key drivers of economic development and growth within their local communities.