For a quarter of a century, Skills Group has been offering full-time courses and apprenticeships across a range of sectors, from care to construction and from engineering to education.

It has invested more than £4 million to create state-of-the-art training facilities, and put a support system of specialist and dedicated staff in place to guide learners and employers through the apprenticeship process.

As a result, Skills Group boasts a success rate of 82.4 per cent compared with a national average of 65.5 per cent. More than 92 per cent of learners and 94 per cent of employers say they would recommend it, and it was rated “outstanding” in its most recent Ofsted inspection.

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Skills Group continually evaluates and develops teaching, learning and assessment through stringent classroom observations, data analysis and response to learner and employer feedback. This has led to timeliness scores of more than 80 per cent and apprenticeship attendance of 91.2 per cent.

Learners receive a number of benefits, such as a free breakfast, a “refer a friend” scheme and the opportunity to enter competitions to win prizes. Their successes are celebrated on Skills Group’s website and social media channels through case studies.

The judges were impressed with the way in which the Skills Group places importance on community engagement. “There’s a longevity factor with Skills Group that should be celebrated,” they said. “It paid for phenomenal facilities out of its revenue, and it thinks in detail about teaching and learning, and the curriculum - in particular, how to embed maths and English into vocational subjects.”