Gateway Qualifications has been shortlisted three times across several categories in the prestigious Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB) Awards.
Awarding Organisation of The Year, Innovation of the Year, and Individual of The Year are the categories where the organisation has been shortlisted.
Carol Snape, CEO at Gateway Qualifications said: “This is such good news for us, we are absolutely delighted. To be shortlisted in three categories is a remarkable achievement. This is the third time that we have been shortlisted for Awarding Organisation of the Year, so we are particularly excited about that.
“The important work that we have been doing with HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has been recognised in the Innovation of The Year category. This is a ground-breaking pilot that we have spearheaded, an Essential Digital Skills Qualification (EDSQ) that can be delivered in the ‘secure estate’, but with the parity of a community qualification.”
Ms Snape explained: “Prison education hasn’t kept pace with the skills required by employers, leaving offenders unprepared for the real world, lacking the digital skills they need for employment and life. Many prisoners have never even used or held a digital device.
“Thanks to this innovation, prison learners can access basic digital skills training, previously impossible to deliver in prisons. Improving education is crucial to improving the employment rate of prison leavers. EDSQ has made vulnerable learners more employable, able to function successfully in an ever-increasing digital world and has contributed positively to prisoners’ mental health and wellbeing.
“And finally, our own, Julie Wickman who has been shortlisted as Individual of The Year. Julie is part of our wider workforce and is our principal external quality assurer (EQA). Julie is a key element of our work with prisons. She is supportive and expert, and her professionalism has ‘rubbed off’ across the organisation, she is part of the reason that we are now known for market-leading support resources and going ‘above and beyond’ when it comes to customer service.”
The FAB Awards, now in their seventh year, recognise the contributions made by awarding organisations and their employees to education and skills in the UK over the past year.
The awards’ judging criteria are strict, the judges are looking for excellence, how challenges have been overcome, impact, value, and currency.
The glittering award ceremony will be held on Thursday, October 20 at the Marriott Hotel in Leicester.