Contract Win to manage QIA Beacon and STAR Awards

Nord Anglia Education plc ("Nord Anglia"), the leading international provider of education, training and childcare, has won a significant three-year contract to manage a variety of excellence recognitions, including Learning and Skills Beacon status and the STAR awards, on behalf of the Quality Improvement Agency (QIA). 

The QIA, whose mission; is to champion and facilitate excellence and innovation in post-16 education and training services has appointed Nord Anglia to manage the administration, and delivery of QIA’s Beacon status and STAR awards, both of which combined, recognise and reward the work of individuals, teams and organisations who make an outstanding contribution to the quality of teaching and learning.   Nord Anglia’s key responsibilities will be to;

• manage the nomination and judging process for the STAR awards
• manage the arrangements for the selection of Beacons and STARs
• co-ordinate and deliver the Beacon and STAR award ceremonies
•  facilitate the networking of both Beacons and STARs
• provide a secretariat for a new Beacon and STAR steering group,
• work with key partners across the sector to develop the future role of the awards. 

Nord Anglia will also be responsible for raising the profile of the awards to ensure that they gain wider recognition in the further education system as well as with the wider community.

Andrew Fitzmaurice, Chief Executive of Nord Anglia, said: We are delighted to be working with the QIA to administer and develop these very important awards, which recognise and promote excellence across the education sector.

Statement from The QIA:

The Quality Improvement Agency (QIA) is pleased to announce that, as a result of our recent competitive tendering process, the contract to manage and administer the Learning and Skills Beacons and STAR awards has been awarded to Nord Anglia Education plc, with effect from 1 April 2007. The contract will operate for three years, ie, until 31 March 2010, subject to annual review. QIA wishes to congratulate Nord Anglia Education plc on their winning tender and looks forward to working with them over the coming year. 

Background InformationThe QIA STAR Awards

The QIA STAR Awards recognise and reward the work of the unsung heroes who have made an outstanding contribution to the quality of teaching and learning of millions of learners in England. The awards are one of a number of programmes managed by the Quality Improvement Agency which seek to identify and promote excellence in the further education system.

The 2007 STAR awards have recently been launched and nominations have been invited.  Further information can be found at http://staraward.qia.org.uk 

Since 2002 more than 7,000 people have been recognised for their contribution to the sector, working within a diverse range of jobs from workplace trainers, college managers and prison tutors to administrators, learning and support workers and cleaners. The awards were launched by the Department for Education and Skills as part of the Success for All agenda for reforming Further Education and Training, published in November 2002. 

QIA Learning and Skills Beacon status

Learning and Skills Beacon status provides public recognition of the excellence and innovation which exists within the further education system. This prestigious award celebrates learning providers that deliver outstanding teaching and learning, and are well led and managed.  It is for providers funded by the Learning and Skills Council and inspected by the Office for Standards in education (OFSTED).  The thinking at the heart of Beacon status is to drive up standards of provision in a fresh and innovative way. All Beacons are required to work with QIA to help improve the performance of the further education system.
 

Beacon status has been awarded to a wide range of colleges and other training providers, representative of the real breath and diversity of the further education system in England.  The latest awards were made on 9 May taking the total number of Beacons to 108.