Gold Award for College Marketing in industry scheme

Caption: NWSLC events team being given a Gold award in events management at an awards ceremony.

A project devised by North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC) to inspire students with career ideas based on science, technology and engineering subjects has won the Gold award in its category at the national FE First Awards.

Judged by the College Marketing Network, the awards are presented annually to further education colleges who have excelled in a variety of marketing disciplines and the results were announced at an awards ceremony in Solihull on Monday 28 November 2022. The college’s marketing team led on the project which was designed to showcase pathways and careers for school leavers and those about to take the next steps in their education.

Winning the Gold award in the events category, the ‘STEAM into Your Future’ showcase was devised by NWSLC in response a study by the Nuneaton Careers Alliance into the impact of the pandemic on young people and their perceptions of, and attitudes, towards careers. A key outcome of the research was the lack of awareness of potential careers based on STEAM sector subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths).

The college worked with stakeholders from across two counties to stage a live event on two days in July 2022 for hundreds of Year 9 pupils during which they explored four hubs and tried out their skills on a range of challenges. Ninety-four per cent of those who attended agreed that they felt more positive about their career prospects after the event.

Also Highly Commended by the FE First Awards’ judges was the college’s project designed to guide young people completing their GCSEs which was recognised in the web development category. Having learned the value of virtual platforms during the pandemic, the NWSLC marketing team was keen to provide advice on GCSE Results Day for prospective students that could not attend an in-person drop-in session on campus.

The college created a bespoke microsite that was hosted live on four days after the exam results had been published. Visitors were able to access advice and guidance, chat live to the team, review former students’ experience, watch video content, experience 360-degree campus tours and make an application for full-time study directly via the site.

Marion Plant, OBE FCGI, Principal and Chief Executive of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College NWSLC said, “This is a fantastic accolade for the college which is always striving to reach out and find dynamic ways to reinforce the power of colleges to offer pathways to future-proofed careers.

“It is vitally important that young people are able to experience both live and online events where they can interact with industry leaders and benefit from the inspiration brought by active participation. Congratulations to all those who helped to successfully deliver these projects.”