Out of hundreds of nominations from all over the country for providers large and small, six that stood out for their creativity, originality and passion have been selected for each of the categories.

The awards are the successor to the Learning and Skills Improvement Service’s prestigious STAR Awards, and the service continues as their sponsor.

Gerard Kelly, editor of The TES, said: “The TES FE Awards are an opportunity to recognise the dedication and expertise of staff in FE who transform the lives of learners. These nominees represent some of the best of this amazing and dynamic sector.”

A judging panel will select the winners, which will be revealed at a ceremony on 11 November in London. And in addition to the categories detailed here, a special lifetime achievement award will be announced on the day.

Rob Wye, chief executive of the Learning and Skills Improvement Service, said: “Tremendous work is being undertaken day in, day out across the sector to drive improvement in learning and skills and so make life better for learners.

“We should celebrate all that is going on and thank all those unsung heroes and heroines who help us realise our shared objective of continuous improvement in all that we do. By building on the success of our own STAR Awards scheme, the TES FE Awards will ensure that, as a sector, we can continue to recognise all such achievements.”

OUTSTANDING PROVIDER OF THE YEAR

• Uxbridge College, Middlesex
• BSix Brooke House Sixth-Form College, London
• Exeter College
• The Leading Edge (TLE)
• West Nottinghamshire College
• Walsall College

• OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP IN LEARNING AND SKILLS

  • Uxbridge College, Middlesex
  • Bedford College
  • Coleg Morgannwg, South Wales
  • Exeter College
  • Highbury College Portsmouth
  • Weston College, Somerset

  • OUTSTANDING ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN LEARNING AND SKILLS

    • Barking and Dagenham College, Essex
    • Calderdale College, West Yorkshire
    • Moulton College, Northampton
    • Training2Care
    • Yale College, Wrexham
    • North Lindsey College, North Lincolnshire

    • OUTSTANDING INNOVATION IN TEACHING, TRAINING OR LEARNING PROVISION

      • Birmingham Metropolitan College - Feed initiative
      • BSix Brooke House Sixth-Form College, London - Raising Aspirations programme
      • Exeter College - Reach Academy
      • Gloucestershire CollegePerry Perrott - E-learning and broadcast media initiatives
      • Leicester College - work with learners with profound and complex needs
      • College of North West London - School of Construction virtual-reality initiative

      • OUTSTANDING EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT

        • Communities into Training and Employment (Cite)
        • City College Norwich - work with insurance firm AXA
        • Chesterfield College
        • JML Dolman - Skills Pledge Plus programme in the West Midlands
        • Logistics Apprenticeship Training Academy (LATA), West Midlands
        • Walsall College - partnerships with various companies including Nike, Roland Music and Microsoft

        • OUTSTANDING E-LEARNING TEAM

          • Birmingham Metropolitan College
          • Derby City Council’s Adult Learning Service
          • North East Surrey College of Technology (Nescot)
          • North Warwickshire and Hinckley College
          • South Eastern Regional College (Serc) in Northern Ireland
          • Walsall College

          • OUTSTANDING HR TEAM

            • Bedford College
            • Gateshead College
            • Hereward College, West Midlands
            • Highbury College Portsmouth
            • Lincoln College
            • Newcastle-under-Lyme College, Staffordshire

            • OUTSTANDING PRACTICE IN SUSTAINABILITY

              • Bedford College
              • Cornwall College
              • Highbury College Portsmouth
              • Petroc, Devon
              • Warrington Collegiate
              • Warwickshire College

              • OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE COMMUNITY

                • Workers’ Educational AssociationBumble Bees Barbarians - inclusive rugby for adults of all abilities
                • City College Brighton and Hove - city jobs initiative
                • Isle of Wight Council - family learning team
                • Media Academy Cardiff - work with disaffected young people
                • Prospects College, Essex - takeover of a deprived secondary school
                • St Mary’s College, Blackburn - work on family learning

                • OUTSTANDING MARKETINGCOMMUNICATIONS TEAM

                  • Accrington and Rossendale College, Lancashire
                  • BSix Brooke House Sixth-Form College, London
                  • Grimsby Institute Group
                  • Lincoln College
                  • Oaklands College, Hertfordshire
                  • West Thames College, London

                  • OUTSTANDING ESTATES TEAM

                    • City of Westminster College, London
                    • Coleg Gwent, Wales
                    • Middlesbrough College
                    • National Star College, Gloucestershire
                    • Warwickshire College
                    • Weston College, Somerset

                    • OUTSTANDING FINANCE TEAM

                      • Coleg Llandrillo Cymru, North Wales
                      • East Riding College
                      • Lincoln College
                      • Loughborough College
                      • Mid Cheshire College
                      • Pembrokeshire College.