National Training Award Success for Barnsley College

Barnsley College were delighted to find out that they had made it through to the regional final of the National Training Awards. Following a visit from the judges, the College has now progressed on to the regional final where the winners will be announced in September.

The College submitted their entry into the Education and Training Provider category back in April and have since successfully progressed through two stages of judging. The College’s entry focussed on their work with the unemployed in the region and specifically the Skills 4 Jobs programme.

This programme, along with the Sixth Month Offer scheme, has seen the College help over 1000 people from Barnsley and beyond to achieve a meaningful qualification. In a time of recession, the programmes put on by Barnsley College are helping to provide people with the skills they need to get back into employment.

Success in the National Training Awards is testimony to the work that Barnsley College carries out within the local community. The programmes are all research informed, ensuring that they are proactive not reactive, and that learners who take part in the programmes are given the best possible opportunities to gain employment.

The College’s Employer Responsiveness Unit (ERU) offers Apprenticeships, Train to Gain, FE Courses and Short courses in a range of industries, working in partnership with Job Centre Plus to identify the labour market and address skills gaps.
This work is of great importance to reviving the local economy and the team has expanded in response to the economic climate. This is a pioneering project, which has set the benchmark for other Colleges across the country to follow.