The Tes FE Awards 2018 are now open for entries - and, with new categories added to recognise the sector’s “diversity and excellence”, this year’s awards are set to be the biggest yet.

From the mastermind teachers responsible for crafting innovative learning initiatives to the unsung heroes working tirelessly behind the scenes, the “Oscars of FE” shine a light on the very best individuals, institutions and initiatives that the sector has to offer.

This year, in partnership with the Education and Training Foundation, 17 awards will be up for grabs, including two new awards: specialist provider of the year and adult and community provider of the year. Acknowledging this change, the overall provider of the year award will now be selected from the recipients of the training provider of the year, sixth-form college of the year, FE college of the year and the two new awards.

Tes FE editor Stephen Exley said: “We’re delighted to introduce these two new categories to recognise the diversity and excellence that the FE sector has to offer. The Tes FE Awards continue to go from strength to strength and we need your help to make the 2018 awards the most successful yet.”

The winner of both the college of the year and overall provider of the year titles at the 2017 Tes FE Awards was South Tyneside College. Principal Lindsey Whiterod said that the accolades have brought “immense recognition”. “Being recognised by Tes is a tribute to each individual staff member. It also showcases the rich talent working to promote good education within the college,” she added. “The awards have brought immense recognition at national level and have put us on the education map. It is a landmark in the life of any college.”

‘The credit they deserve’

According to skills and apprenticeships minister Anne Milton, the awards are “a great way to recognise the sector’s top talent and give them the credit they deserve”.

She added: “It is essential that we have high-quality further and technical education. This will reduce inequality and create opportunities for home-grown talent to flourish.”

‘A very diverse sector’

Clare Howard, chief executive at specialist college umbrella body Natspec, said that she was delighted that Tes has introduced the new specialist provider category. “It is great news that the awards will include specialist provision for the first time and I look forward to being involved,” she added.

Susan Pember, director of policy and external relations at adult education body Holex, said the inclusion of a separate adult community learning category was “excellent news”. “Including them in this way will allow their remarkable contributions to education and personal development to be recognised,” she added.

The categories

• Lifetime achievement
• Support for learners
• Contribution to the local community
• Best teaching and learning initiative
• Outstanding use of technology for improving teaching, learning and assessment
• Employer engagement
• Assessor of the year
• Professional services team of the year
• Apprenticeship programme of the year
• Teacher of the year
• FE leader of the year
• FE college of the year
• Training provider of the year
• Sixth-form college of the year
• Specialist provider of the year
• Adult and community learning provider of the year

How to enter 

Entry is free and open to all further education establishments in the UK. Simply submit 500 words on why you should win, before midnight on Friday 27 October 2017 at tesfeawards.co.uk Find out if you’ve made the shortlist on Friday 15 December 2017. The winners will be revealed at a glittering awards ceremony on Friday 23 February 2018 at The Grosvenor House hotel in London’s Park Lane.

For more information, visit tesfeawards.co.uk

This is an edited version of an article in the 15 September edition of Tes. Subscribers can read the full article here. To subscribe, click here. This week’s Tes magazine is available at all good newsagents. To download the digital edition, Android users can click here and iOS users can click here.

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