13/06/2025
The winners of The Quality Professionals Awards for Further Education and Employability 2025 were revealed on Friday 6th June.
300 people from across further education and employability gathered at the Leeds Marriott Hotel to honour the contribution of quality and compliance professionals in year two of the awards.
18 winners awards were presented across 12 categories this year. This included two new categories for 2025 with Quality Champion and Compliance Leader added to the lineup and two overall outstanding winners selected from all the finalists.
In addition, 13 finalists were given highly commended awards in recognition of their achievements.
From over 500 nominees, 76 finalists represented organisations across the UK including FE colleges, independent training providers, local authorities, universities, third sector providers, employers, and employability providers of all sizes.
The event, hosted by Lou Doyle, CEO Mesma; the founders of the Quality Professionals Awards and Dan Howard, Lifetime Training was an afternoon celebration at the Leeds Marriot Hotel.
Lou Doyle said. “The Quality Professionals Awards are unique in bringing together the Further Education, Skills and Employability sectors to celebrate excellence, dedication, and the remarkable achievements of individuals, teams, and organisations in the fields of quality and compliance. The finalists and winners exemplify those who build a culture of trust, supportive challenge and make systemic change to keep moving the dial on the experiences of students, apprentices and job seekers.”
A list of all the finalists and winners can be found below and at www.qualityprofessionalsawards.org
Winners of The Quality Professionals Awards 2025
Contact hello@qualityprofessionalsaward.org for more information.
Compliance Team of the Year (sponsored by Strata)
Apprenticeship Compliance Team — Hopwood Hall College
Compliance Professional of The Year (sponsored by SDN)
Ben Carter — Baltic Apprenticeships
Compliance Leader of the Year (sponsored by Lockhort Hawkins)
Oye Eneje — Siemens Mobility
Rising Star – FE & Skills (sponsored by S Knights Recruitment)
Lee Orr — South Tyneside Council
Rising Star — Employability (sponsored by S Knights Recruitment)
Jason McGivern — Reed in Partnership
Quality Improvement Professional of the Year (sponsored by UVAc)
Katie Miller — Solihull College and University Centre
Quality Improvement Champion of the Year – FE & Skills (sponsored by Aptem)
Maria Garrigan — Hull College
Quality Improvement Champion of the Year – Employability (sponsored by Aptem)
Michelle Stewart — Angus Council
Quality Improvement Leader of the Year— FE and Skills (sponsored by Mindful Education)
Rachel Butt — Learning Curve
Quality Improvement Leader of the Year— Employability (sponsored by Mindful Education)
Helen Ammash— Fedcap Employment
Quality Improvement Initiative of The Year (sponsored by Skilltech Solutions)
Quality Professional Development Programme— Impact Futures
Social Mobility Quality Improvement Initiative (sponsored by CogniSoft)
SEND Flexibilities — HIT Training
Quality Collaboration — FE and Skills (sponsored by Mesma)
Solihull College and University Centre, Dudley College & South Staffordshire College
Quality Collaboration — Employability (sponsored by Mesma)
Successful Mums Career Academy & Harris Federation
Quality Improvement Team of the Year – FE College (sponsored by OAL)
Education Partnership North East
Quality Improvement Team – Independent and ACL (sponsored by OAL)
Barnsley Local Authority Skills & Community Learning Service
Outstanding Contribution to Quality Improvement — FE & Skills
Hull College
Outstanding Contribution to Quality Improvement — Employability
Reed in Partnership
Highly Commended
- Samiha Mabrouk, WM College
- Kate McKay, University of Chester
- Michelle Marriott, Bauer Academy
- Deborah Sherman, The Bournemouth & Poole College
- Compliance Team, NIS Group
- Manchester Metropolitan University
- Bishop Auckland College & The Open University
- Billy Auty, NCFE
- Tina Lynam, Hull College
- Diane Ward, Craven College
- Deborah Johnston MBE, LSBU
- Quality Team, Leeds College of Building
- Skills Quality Team, Education Development Trust
About
The Quality Professionals Awards was founded by Mesma to elevate the status of quality assurance and compliance and demonstrate the contribution of the many people who ploy a critical role working alongside delivery teams to pave the way for a bright future for learners and job seekers.
