We’re very pleased to announce that East Durham College is one of the first colleges to be part of the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence, in partnership with NCFE, to mainstream world-class standards in skills development in the UK.
Working together with WorldSkills UK, NCFE and our partners, we will help develop a world-leading technical education sector.
Parisa Shirazi, Head of skills development and international competition at WorldSkills UK, said: “This is a milestone moment – a unique opportunity for East Durham College to work with other colleges across the UK and join the dawn of a skills revolution.
“Working with the staff at East Durham College we will champion a skills-led recovery, which is driven by international benchmarking and rightly values high-quality apprenticeships and technical education to enable all young people to develop the employability skills that will provide them with a rewarding future.”
Utilising NCFE’s expertise in curriculum development and drawing on WorldSkills UK’s unique insights into global skills systems through its membership of WorldSkills, the global hub for skills excellence, staff at East Durham College will be coached and mentored to embed world-class practises and techniques in their teaching, learning and assessment practices.
The work will be led by WorldSkills UK High-Performance Skills Coaches, who are all experienced WorldSkills UK Training Managers. They will capture learnings from international competitions and use these to coach and mentor educators at East Durham College who will pass this knowledge on to their students, ensuring they perform to international high standards of excellence in their skills.
In addition to its work with FE colleges throughout the UK, the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence will also play an important role in supporting the development of higher technical standards across qualifications and assessment development.
“We are committed to delivering excellence in our training and teaching programmes at East Durham College that is why we are working with WorldSkills UK and NCFE. The WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence will enhance our teaching and curriculum innovation and provide our students with a world-class skill set and mindset so they and their employers will succeed.”
Suzanne Duncan, Principal of East Durham College said: "East Durham College has always been an innovative institution; this extends to our students, who we delight to see enjoy great success in a range of competitions at the cutting edge of their respective fields. This partnership is an exciting new opportunity to help us further cultivate the skills and talents of our students all in the hope that they may continue achieving recognition, and use that as a springboard for further success in the their future.”
