Next Generation Learning Award Winners

Last year I told providers about Becta’s Next Generation Learning Awards which intended to reward learning providers who are confident in the use of technology. Winners in six different categories of learning provider were set to receive a cash prize as well as the opportunity to share their practice regionally and nationally.

Winners of these awards have now been announced by Becta at an awards ceremony that took place last week. Winners in each category are now noted on the BECTA website.

In the Work Based Learning sector the award went to Lifetime Health and Fitness Limited for them having achieved efficiency and effectiveness through their use of a Learner Management System and bespoke e-portfolio system.

They noted several improvements to their business processes including:

* “The induction process is shorter and more accurate.
* Progress and performance criteria can be better measured and evaluated.
* Learners can now view their portfolio and see their progress.
* Tutors can plan their visits online … and more.

What’s more, they estimate that… “A cost saving of approximately £20,000 per annum has been estimated by accepting digital signatures and reducing paperwork….and success rates have steadily increased from 30 per cent to 60 per cent over the last two years”.

Sounds impressive and it will be great to see some of the lessons learned shared with the wider community, particularly with so many providers now taking first steps in this area of integrating learning systems with e-portfolios.

Great that the awards were set up for this and congratulations to Lifetime (and the other winners) for their achievements!


To read more of Wobble click here.

Next Generation Learning Awards 2009

This year Becta will offer its Next Generation Learning Awards 2009 which will reward learning providers who are confident in the use of technology. This year, the judges will be looking for excellent work with ICT in one of three areas of good practice:

The use of technology to achieve efficiency and effectiveness
The use of technology to enable effective collaboration and partnerships
The use of technology to improve learner outcomes

To submit an entry, you need to complete an online form which can be accessed from Becta's website. The Awards are now open for entries, the deadline is 9 July 2008. Winners will receive a cash prize as well as the opportunity to share their excellent practice regionally and nationally with colleagues.

For more information about the 2009 awards, read How The Awards Work, Becta's Guidance or Frequently asked questions pages. If you have more queries you can also contact the Next Generation Learning Awards team on 024 7641 6994, or by email.

Recognising Learner Acheivements - Adult Learners Awards

Do you know someone whose remarkable learning achievements deserve recognition? Then it’s not too late to nominate them for an Adult Learners' Week Award. Making a nomination is very easy and can be done online, but you’ll need to act quickly as the closing date for nominations is 25 January 2008.

EVERYONE nominated will receive a Certificate of Achievement, with the winners being invited to an awards ceremony to also receive a learning voucher.

I’ve seen the walls of thank you cards in our local training centres so why not give one of your learners that extra bit of recognition too? To learners who have overcome the odds to get back into training or education, those little things make a really big difference.

It’s great to see our region promoting our learners achievements too. (Us Midlander’s are keen on learning after all!)

Details of how to nominate can be found in this previous post.

Adult Learners' Week Awards 2008 Now Open

Do you know an adult learner whose achievements could inspire others?
Does your organisation offer a creative programme of learning that reaches out to adults?

If you know someone whose remarkable learning achievements deserve recognition and could inspire others, then why not nominate them for an Adult Learners' Week Award? Participation in Adult Learners’ Week is a great way of making people aware of the learning opportunities that you provide. And, of course, the Adult Learners’ Week Awards, are a fantastic way of recognising the achievements of your learners.

There were some great examples of learner achievements in the West Midlands highlighted in the 2007 Awards which you can learn more about here. I hope that this year we’re similarly able to highlight some of the successes achieved by learners in our region.

Everyone nominated in this years awards will receive a Certificate of Achievement, and the winners will be invited to an awards ceremony and receive a learning voucher.

Making a nomination is straightforward and easy - and can be done online or by post. Click here to nominate online. More information about the awards an be obtained on the web at http://www.alw.org.uk/ or you can get get quick answers to your FAQs here.