“Winning a Tes FE Award, or even being shortlisted, is a fantastic opportunity to raise our profile and celebrate our hard work and achievements.” So said Dr Lindsey Whiterod, principal and chief executive of South Tyneside College - the FE college and overall provider of the year winner at last year’s Tes FE Awards.

She says that the accolades have brought “immense recognition” and helped to boost the confidence of staff at the college. “Being recognised by Tes is a tribute to each individual staff member. It also showcases the rich talent working to promote good education within the college,” she says. “The awards have brought immense recognition at national level and have put us on the education map. It is a landmark in the life of any college.”

Now, the race is on to find the winners the Tes FE Awards 2018. From the mastermind teachers responsible for crafting innovative learning initiatives to the unsung heroes working tirelessly behind the scenes, the “Oscars of FE” shine a light on the very best that the sector has to offer.

‘The credit they deserve’

According to skills and apprenticeships minister Anne Milton, the awards are “a great way to recognise the sector’s top talent and give them the credit they deserve.”

She adds: “It is essential that we have high quality further and technical education. This will reduce inequality and create opportunities for home grown talent to flourish. That is why we are reforming and investing in skills.”

This year, in partnership with the Education and Training Foundation, 17 awards will be up for grabs, including two new awards: specialist provider of the year and adult and community provider of the year. Acknowledging this change, the overall provider of the year award will now be selected from the recipients of the training provider of the year, sixth-form college of the year, FE college of the year and the two new awards.

Tes FE editor Stephen Exley says: “We’re delighted to introduce these two new categories to recognise the diversity and excellence that the FE sector has to offer. The Tes FE Awards continue to go from strength to strength and we need your help to make the 2018 awards the most successful yet.”

‘A very diverse sector’

Clare Howard, chief executive at specialist college umbrella body Natspec, says that she is delighted that Tes has introduced the new specialist provider category. “It is a very diverse sector with provision coming in many different forms, but they are all part of and work with the wider FE sector, and underlying quality teaching and personalised learning can be recognised in the same way as other categories. It is great news that the awards will include specialist provision for the first time and I look forward to being involved.”

Susan Pember, director of policy and external relations at adult education body Holex, says the inclusion of a separate adult community learning category is “excellent news”. “Including them in this way will allow their remarkable contributions to education and personal development to be recognised,” Pember says.

David Jones, chief executive of Coleg Cambria in North Wales, was crowned FE leader of the year at the 2017 Tes FE Awards. He says that winning was the highlight of his career and that others should also enter for a chance to emulate his FE glory.

“I have looked on with admiration at the previous winners of the Tes FE Awards and I was very proud when my team said that they wanted to nominate me for the FE leader of the year award.

“Winning was such a great surprise,” he says, “and it was the highlight of working for 30 years in FE. These are such prestigious awards, judged by an illustrious panel of respected experts, and I would urge colleagues across the UK to enter the 2018 awards”.