Each year, the NCFE Aspiration Awards highlight the incredible achievements of learners, teachers and centres across the UK, and this year was no exception. Attracting a record number of entries across four categories, the 2021 judging panel spent hours reviewing and deliberating over the high calibre of candidates.
Headquartered in the North East, NCFE is an educational charity and leader in vocational and technical learning. The awards programme, which was founded in 2018 to honour the success of learners, educators, and educational organisations across the UK, has grown in popularity year on year. The four categories are Teacher of the Year, Learner of the Year, Centre of the Year and Against all Odds, all of which celebrate those who have gone above and beyond in their learning, teaching or support in vocational and technical education. The winners all have their own truly inspiring story, showcasing their commitment to education and their determination to succeed despite the most extraordinary of years. NCFE awarded their Learner of the Year award to Katie Albert from Blackpool and the Fylde College. Katie demonstrated a true passion for working within the education sector when starting her journey at the college in September 2019, completing the NCFE CACHE Level 2 Diploma for the Early Years Practitioner alongside an additional maths qualification and an industry placement. Through her hard work and determination, Katie was then able to progress onto the T Level in Education and Childcare – the government’s new flagship educational programme, providing a vocational alternative to A Levels. Described by his colleagues as an “outstanding Technology teacher”, Gary Rayworth from Chorlton High School won the ‘Teacher of the Year’ category. Gary is the Curriculum Leader for Technology and Computing at the school where he introduced and now teaches the NCFE level 2 Technical Award in Graphic Design. Many of the learners in Gary’s classes are from disadvantaged backgrounds and some often find school challenging, however, he has managed to transform his learners through his passion for teaching. The Centre of the Year award went to Yuzu Training who was the first provider to gain significant progress since the pandemic in a recent Ofsted report. They were also praised for their delivery of the NCFE CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Safeguarding and Prevent, and their brilliant relationships with employers and local enterprise partnerships. These partnerships are key to help the delivery of the courses which tactically meet the economic needs for its regions and ensures their learners have the skills and knowledge needed to progress in their careers. Lucas Reynard from Eastleigh College took home the award in the ‘Against all odds’ category. Lucas hasn’t let challenging circumstances stop him from achieving his goals and is a remarkable example of an inspirational young learner. In their award nomination, Lucas’s tutors described how, in the past year, when Lucas faced the challenges of homelessness and major health issues, he managed 99% attendance (only missing a lesson for a doctor’s appointment), maintained quality and timely completion of his work and achieved A* results. Lucas’s tutor, Nicola George, who nominated him for the award, describes Lucas as having “excellent work ethic, enthusiasm, and hunger for taking on opportunities and responsibilities, alongside his desire to help his fellow learners.” Zac Aldridge, Director of Qualifications and Assessment at NCFE, added: “We were overwhelmed by the incredible response to this year’s Aspiration Awards. The amazing work being carried out by learners, teachers and centres across the UK during such a challenging year is truly humbling and incredibly inspiring. Seeing such commitment to education is what drives us at NCFE to do all we can to make a real difference, and we’d like to pass on our sincere congratulations to everyone who was nominated.”