The exceptional individuals and institutions in the running to claim a coveted trophy at the Tes FE Awards 2020 have today been announced.

The awards ceremony is the year’s biggest celebration of FE and skills, bringing together exceptional teachers, leaders, providers and behind-the-scenes teams. The winning colleges and providers will battle it out to be crowned overall FE provider of the year, while the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award will be announced on the night.

This year, the awards will include two new categories. The first will recognise the unsung heroes involved in WorldSkills and the second will pay tribute to outstanding GCSE resits provision.

Read more: Tes FE awards 2020 open for entries

2019 awards: Behind the scenes at the provider Ofsted calls ‘fun’

Book tickets: Tes FE Awards official website

The winners will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London, on 20 March. For more information about booking tickets for the event, visit the official awards website.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson said: “Congratulations to all of those who have made the shortlist for the Tes FE Awards. The awards are a great opportunity to celebrate and recognise the brilliant work being carried out every day around the country across the sector. 

“You should all be very proud of the work you are doing to support people to develop the skills they need to transform their lives.”

Tes FE editor Stephen Exley added: “Making it on to the shortlist is an impressive achievement in itself. We hope you can join us for the awards ceremony to celebrate the life-changing FE sector.” 

Tes FE Awards 2020: the shortlist

Apprenticeship programme of the year

Bridgend College
Edinburgh College
Ford
Gower College Swansea
Milton Keynes College
Royal Air Force
Skills Training UK
Total People

Best teaching and learning initiative 

Cardiff and Vale College
Edinburgh College
Grimsby Institute
Havant and South Downs College
Lambeth College
Lincoln College
South and City College Birmingham
West College Scotland

Contribution to the local community

Cardiff and Vale College
City College Peterborough
East Durham College
Forth Valley College
Hull College
Myerscough College
Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group
Wirral Metropolitan College

Employer engagement

Activate Learning
Gloucestershire College
Leeds City College 
Lifetime Training
Lincoln College Group
North West Regional College
The Manchester College
Weston College

FE leader of the year

Simon Pirotte - Bridgend College
Mike Blakeley - Exeter College
Cheryl Smith - FutureSkills at MediaCityUK
Sam Parrett - London South East Colleges
Karen Dobson - Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group
Mouhssin Ismail - Newham Collegiate Sixth Form Centre
Jacqueline McAllister - Northern Regional College
Lisa O’Loughlin - The Manchester College

Professional services team of the year

Bedford College Group
Berkshire College of Agriculture
Bridgwater and Taunton College
Dundee and Angus College
Fircroft College
Kirklees College
NPTC Group of Colleges
Weston College

Teacher of the year

Aisleen Parker - City College Peterborough
Peter Brown - City Lit
Helena Good - Edinburgh College
Mandy Gutsell - Fircroft College of Adult Education
Neil Godfrey - Hartlepool College of Further Education
Cheryl Hall - North Hertfordshire College
James Donkin - Sunderland College
Eleanor Turner - Windsor Forest Colleges Group

Outstanding GCSE resits provision

Activate Learning
Birkenhead Sixth Form College
Buxton and Leek College
Eastleigh College
Hartlepool College of Further Education
Inspire, Nottinghamshire
Nelson and Colne College
Shooters Hill Sixth Form College

Support for learners

Bridgwater and Taunton College
Cambridge Regional College
City College Peterborough
Derwen College
Fife College
Newcastle College
New College Durham
South Essex College

Outstanding use of technology for improving teaching, learning and assessment

Barton Peveril Sixth Form College
Berkshire College of Agriculture
Cardiff and Vale College
Forth Valley College
Gower College Swansea
Harlow College
Havant and South Downs College
South Gloucestershire and Stroud College

WorldSkills unsung hero

Michael Swan - Dundee and Angus College
Steve Williams - Gower College Swansea
Manufacturing Engineering Team - Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education
Mike Taylor - Grŵp Llandrillo Menai
Colin Galley - New College Durham
Claire Winnall - Reds Hair Company
Pete Walters - Stoke on Trent College
Joan Scott - Trafford College Group

FE college of the year

Bedford College Group
Forth Valley College
Gower College Swansea
Hartpury College
Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group
Oldham College
Strode College, Somerset
The College Merthyr Tydfil

Training provider of the year

CDS Defence and Security
Corndel*
Lifetime Training
PM Training
Skillnet Limited
Skills Group
Skills Training UK
The Skills Network

Adult and community learning provider of the year

City College Peterborough
City Lit
Kent Adult Education
Inspire, Nottinghamshire
Northern College
Sutton College
Westminster Adult Education Service
Working Men’s College

Sixth-form college of the year

Brighton, Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College
Cardinal Newman Sixth Form College
Carmel College
Durham Sixth Form Centre
Hills Road Sixth Form College
Huddersfield New College
Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College
New College Pontefract

Specialist provider of the year

Belfast Metropolitan College
City College Peterborough
Coleg Elidyr
Foxes Academy
Landmarks Specialist College
North Hertfordshire College
Ruskin Mill Trust
Weston House, Bridgend College

The Tes FE Awards ceremony takes place on 20 March 2020 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane, London. To book tickets or for more information, please visit the official awards website.

*Corndel has provided apprenticeships for Tes Global, the parent company of  Tes