Category Description
This award is open to education and upskilling programmes and activities that are developed with the aim of expanding learning, enhancing access to information, and providing unique academic experiences to all age groups, including adults, with a focus on addressing inequality, inequity and a green transition.
They should demonstrate creativity and innovation and deliver clear opportunities for individuals benefiting from them. The education / training will have been delivered primarily during the period 2022-24 and after but can be a legacy programme as long as it was still ongoing during this timeframe.
The judges will specifically be looking for quantified results from the learning; quality and effectiveness; innovation and creativity; high levels of student engagement and use of awareness raising to promote the activities; and future plans to build on the programme and where possible scale it up.
We request a total word count of 1500 words +/-10% (excl. supporting docs). Any confidential data will be treated as such and only shared with the judging panel.
Criteria
Judges will be looking for evidence of the following points within the supplied application form and reserve the right to award multiple awards for different styles of initiative (weighting percentages in brackets):
- How the programme sets new standards for innovation and creativity (15%)
- How it boosts wellbeing, equality, diversity & inclusion (including in areas such as race, gender, dyslexia, physical & social mobility), and mental health (15%)
- The extent to which the institute receiving the training has identified the need and played a role in shaping the programme. (25%)
- Its success as measured in results of learning and social impact (35%)
- Whether the scheme demonstrate a long-term commitment with an integrated legacy element to ensure ongoing benefits (10%)
PLEASE NOTE: The criteria above are different to the questions in the application form. You will need to follow the application questions; cross-referencing these with the criteria to ensure you’ve captured them within your application. The criteria are followed by the judges in order to compare all entries in each category like-for-like, Please ensure you register / login to AwardStage (Opens 3 Feb), select the category and export a PDF copy of the questions. Some category application questions differ. The application questions will be available four weeks before entries open, so if you wish to get them ahead of time please email us.
Are we eligible to enter?
Our awards programme is open to all organisations of any kind… companies large and small, charities, not-for-profits, social enterprises, NGOs, membership and accreditation organisations and government departments including local and county councils. We are all about rewarding sustainability practice – in all its forms. So if your organisation is making a difference, directly or indirectly to people and planet, you’re eligible.
We don’t just recognise businesses that are operating responsibly, or supporting / partnering with worthwhile causes. We also actively encourage entries from organisations that have been specifically set up or adapted to offer a product or service that tackles a social or environmental problem.
Our category descriptions and criteria have been written to guide entrants on what content should be detailed in their entries. However, we do not expect square pegs to fit in round holes… Some of your business activities or dedicated programmes might not fit entirely with any one specific category. In these cases, the descriptions and criteria are open to an element of interpretation and rest assured that our judges will still take into account entries that are strongly aligned with the overall context of the category.
If you have any concerns about the suitability of your entry, or would like to discuss your activities in more detail, we are here to help. Give Karen a call on 07813 718541 or email us.