The IEP are delighted to announce that international education charity NOCN Group, which has been creating opportunities through learning and skills solutions since 1987, has become our Corporate Affiliate Partner (CAP).
NOCN Group offers a wide range of education, training and skills products and services internationally to support diverse, skilled, and accredited workforces. This includes regulated qualifications, end point assessment for Apprenticeship Standards, assured short courses, competence cards and tests, and short online courses in its specialist areas of construction, engineering, manufacturing, green skills, health and social care, preparation for life and work, education, and management.
Shelley van Kooten, NOCN Group’s Sector Manager for Skills for Work & Life, says:
“As a truly independent, charitable organisation, we have the freedom to develop ‘skills solutions’ that directly address economic and social issues, rather than just meet commercial targets. Employability has always been a key agenda for us whether that is through the development of specific qualifications or taking it into account in the development of wider solutions such as Apprenticeship End Point Assessment. Our focus is always on long term career pathways and ensuring that people can develop skills that are fit for the future.
“The Institute of Employability Professionals is an important stakeholder for us, and we are looking forward to building further relationships with members to understand their needs and offer them skills solutions to address these needs.”
NOCN Group Chief Executive Graham Hasting-Evans adds:
“Opening up access to employability skills is absolutely critical to improving social mobility and inclusivity. We can take somebody from not being able to read and write to working at management level. What is often not understood is that skills are not the same as education. Skills are about the workplace and should therefore fit within the overall economic strategy for the country. It’s even relevant to tech and the green agenda as so many of the skills we need for the jobs of the future do not currently exist. Employability is about more than just foundation skills – it’s about enabling people at all stages of their career and life to adapt to the ever-changing environment.
“We are continually lobbying government to ensure that people have equal access to these skills and will continue to do so with the new UK Government to get and keep employability at the top of the agenda.”
