GATESHEAD COLLEGE EXCEL AT WORK-BASED LEARNING ACCORDING TO NEW OFSTED REPORT

14/07/2010

An Ofsted report published today names Gateshead College as one of twelve work-based learning providers that excel at providing apprenticeships, NVQs and other vocational qualifications for young people and adults.

Gateshead College is the only North East based provider to be recognised and one of only two colleges to be included in the report, which praises excellent results and a commitment to bringing out the potential of learners.

The report, entitled ‘Twelve outstanding providers of work-based learning', is launched today by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert at the Association of Learning Providers' (ALP) annual conference. She highlights how the best training providers in areas such as manufacturing, retail, hospitality and IT, are meeting the skills needs of both learners and employers, while reflecting Ofsted's role in identifying and sharing examples of excellent performance to help support improvement.

Gateshead College began offering work based learning programmes in November 2002 when provision was transferred from Gateshead Council. Following an inspection that resulted in a satisfactory grade for work-based learning in 2003, governors at the College made the decision to invest significantly to improve the quality of work-based learning programmes to become the ‘training provider of choice' for apprentices in the region.

The College now provides work-based learning courses across the region to an increasing number of learners each year, and in 2009 was inspected again and graded outstanding by Ofsted for work-based learning provision, and across the board.

Work-based learning programmes are offered in eight sector subject areas with the majority of the provision in engineering and construction.

Gateshead College Principal Richard Thorold said:

"This is an outstanding result not only for the College but for the region; we are committed to making our apprentices the best they can be by offering as broad a range of experience as possible.

"We also pride ourselves on working very closely with employers, understanding their specific objectives and designing tailored training solutions in a way that is timely to fit with their business needs and saves money while delivering the highest quality of training."

Her Majesty's Chief Inspector Christine Gilbert praised the twelve providers, and said: "These providers display a real drive to inspire, challenge and support young people and adult learners. They have each made an important contribution to addressing the critical issue of developing skills for employment, while also helping employers to compete in a tough economic environment."

The success of the providers featured has been built on ensuring the technical skills and industry experience of staff is constantly updated. Good relationships with business, intimate knowledge of industry sectors, and the training programmes matched to the needs and demands of employers were central components of these providers' success.

Read Ofsted's Twelve outstanding providers of work-based learning.