Congratulations to all winners and finalists of the inaugural Quality Professionals Awards (QPA), founded by Mesma! The IEP were proud headline sponsors of the event, where 200 people across the education and employability sectors came together on 26 June to celebrate the professionals who work diligently behind the scenes.
The QPA presented 11 winners awards across 9 categories, with two overall outstanding winners selected from all finalists. Further, 6 finalists were highly commended in recognition of their achievements.
The Rising Star of the Year winner was Kaneez Fatima MIEP, Compliance Officer at IEP Corporate Affiliate Partners Belina GRoW, who was nominated for her getting it ‘right first-time’ approach, in which she stresses the importance of efficiency and accuracy in delivering quality services.
“Winning the award was a huge honour,” Kaneez said. “It made me feel proud and showed that my hard work and dedication are appreciated. My efforts have always been recognised by my organisation and team, but to see them acknowledged across the entire UK sector was a moment of immense pride.
“I liked how the awards brought everyone together and recognised our efforts,” Kaneez continued. “The event itself was also a great opportunity to connect with colleagues and celebrate our collective achievements.”
Lou Doyle, CEO of Mesma, and Dan Howard, Deputy CEO of Springfield Training hosted the event at the Hilton Leeds City.
“Outstanding quality assurance and compliance practice is what you do when no one is looking. It is created by building trusted and supportive relationships with colleagues,” said Lou Doyle.
She said the event “celebrated the achievements of people who exemplify that and the impact they have across further education and employability”.
QPA 2024 Winners
Rising Star – FE & Skills (sponsored by S Knights Recruitment)
Charlie Bowers – Exceed Training Company
Rising Star – Employability (sponsored by S Knights Recruitment)
Kaneez Fatima – Belina GRoW CIC
Compliance Team (sponsored by Strata)
London South Bank University
Quality Improvement Initiative (Sponsored by Greater Manchester Learning Provider Network)
Observations, Bridgwater and Taunton College
Quality Improvement Collaboration (sponsored by Mesma)
York and North Yorkshire, Multiply Consortium
Quality Improvement Leader (sponsored by Mindful Education)
Hannah Kirkham – Leeds City Council
Quality Team – FE College (sponsored by OAL)
Quality Team – Nelson and Colne College Group
Quality Team – Independent training and employability (sponsored by OAL)
The Education and Head Office Team – PMA Education
Quality Improvement Professional (sponsored by UVAC)
Shenay Cantelo-Poppe – Future Talent Learning
Compliance Professional (sponsored by SDN)
Samantha Rushmore – Jobs 22
Social Mobility Quality Improvement Initiative (sponsored by Cognisoft)
CSW Group – YEP!
Outstanding Contribution to Quality Improvement – Employability (sponsored by Tribal)
Reed in Partnership
Outstanding Contribution to Quality Improvement – FE and Skills (sponsored by Tribal)
York and North Yorkshire, Multiply Consortium
Highly Commended:
• Ranjit Singh, Hull College
• Education Partnership North East
• Ambition Scotland
• Emma Simpson, Middlesbrough College
• Middlesex University, The Open University and UVAC
• Jogita Govind, LEAP Powered by Travis Perkins
IEP Group CEO Scott Parkin FIEP featured as a judge on a panel of leaders across the FE and employability sectors.
“I am very proud to have been a judge at the awards and was blown away by the standard of nominations that came through,” said Scott Parkin. “Congratulations to all the winners and finalists!”
“The QPA helps to shine a light on the really important work that is done by diligent, passionate professionals who care deeply about quality services and quality improvement. These professionals are at the forefront of driving forward our mission at the IEP, which is Employability professionals everywhere are the best they can be.”
