Collaboration providing the key to success

21 Sep 2017 02:09 PM

Blog posted by: Rachel Hopkins, Marketing Officer, Thursday 21 September 2017.

We’re delighted to highlight the successful working relationship of Stephenson College and educational publisher and NCFE partner, Learning Curve Group (LCG). Working together, the two organisations have enjoyed a successful working relationship for over 5 years, which has had significant impact and benefits for the learners at Stephenson College.

Debbie Torr, Development Manager at Stephenson College, said of the partnership: “Over the past 5 years, we’ve been able to grow and improve our offer for learners as a direct result of working alongside Learning Curve Group who provide materials to facilitate distance learning”.

The college deliver over 20 different NCFE courses such as Dementia Awareness, End of Life Care and Understanding Autism, using LCG learning materials to support employers and learners to meet key agendas which Ofsted highlighted as helping learners ‘’develop a good range of skills that help them to become more effective employees’’

With a team of experienced, qualified assessors based all over the country, the college use a tutor led model to meet the needs of learners and employers, achieving over 94% success rate year on year. 

The impact of the successful partnership has not gone unnoticed by official regulators, with Ofsted recently commending the college for their ‘’well-designed and interactive approach to distance learning’’. The quality of the teaching was highlighted by Ofsted who described the tutors as “passionate, knowledgeable and enthusiastic” with outcomes for distance learners highlighted as ‘’outstanding’’. The successful delivery models, combined with the user friendly learning resources, leads to learners returning time and time again to study with Stephenson College.

Leanne Butler, a learner who has taken advantage of the distance learning materials from LCG and Stephenson College, had this to say about her learner journey: “Over the past four years I have successfully completed 8 distance learning courses with Stephenson College. I found the courses very interesting and I now have increased knowledge in areas relating to Health and Social Care.

I found the tutors helpful and supportive when I needed clarification or assistance on any of the questions. The knowledge I have gained has helped me to prepare for work in Health and Social Care and recently I started my first job working with individuals with learning disabilities.”

As Stephenson College deliver a wide range of qualifications, they provide feedback directly to LCG and operate a model of information sharing which works to improve the quality of resources for learners across LCG’s wider customer network.

At NCFE, we’re delighted to see harmonious and successful partnerships within and across the sector. These positive relationships mean that more learners have access to high-quality technical qualifications, which provide opportunities for successful entry into further study or sustainable employment. We’d also like to extend our congratulations to Stephenson College on their Ofsted inspection result.