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Award-winning training provider, Kiwi Education, delivers a wide range of qualifications within the workplace, specialising in apprenticeships, traineeships, diplomas and short courses. We’ve been working with Kiwi Education since 2014 to help deliver Functional Skills at various levels, as well as a number of short courses to their learners. 

We caught up with Managing Director Michael Steel to find out about his experience of working with us to deliver Functional Skills.

On Kiwi Education’s relationship with us:

“We’ve had a very long relationship – even when I did my apprenticeship a number of years ago, NCFE was the awarding organisation. NCFE is headquartered in the north, and you can't really get any more south than us, based down in Southampton – but we wanted to work with NCFE because of the people within their organisation.” 

On our service and support: 

“The customer service is great, so it was a no-brainer to go with NCFE. The process was so straightforward, and the staff involved were people that we liked and wanted to work with. The feel of the organisation, its charitable status, its vision and mission, and the fact that NCFE takes on feedback and takes it seriously from training providers – I love that. The support we get from our Relationship Manager is fantastic too.” 

On Functional Skills: 

“We get a swift turnaround of assessment results, and the platform we use for Functional Skills is straightforward. We've had great invigilation training, and we feel if we did need additional support, we can ask for that anytime. I see NCFE as an extended part of our provision. We do all of our Functional Skills with NCFE and wouldn’t ever consider moving! 

“Learners who have studied Functional Skills with us have progressed down a variety of routes. Some have moved from their intermediate apprenticeship to their higher apprenticeship; from there, many have progressed to employment, whilst some move to degree apprenticeships. Others have completed their short courses and then gone onto an apprenticeship or further learning.” 

On the meaning of progress: 

“When we talk about progress, some people just concentrate on completing a course or qualification. Actually, progress is about enabling people to reach their full potential and that might be learning a simple new task within their role. Everyone’s potential, and achieving that full potential, is different.

"Offering Functional Skills to traineeship learners, for example, is important for the program, and many have joined the program without their English or maths GCSEs. NCFE’s Functional Skills courses are very much based around real-life scenarios which our learners find very beneficial.”  

On recommending our services: 

“I’ve already recommended NCFE’s qualifications and provision to other providers, some of which deliver the same courses as we do. I firmly believe in partnership working, rather than looking at other providers as competitors. Some of those who have used other awarding organisations haven't had the service and support that we get through NCFE.”

Read more about our Functional Skills offer and how we can support you and your learners to success.