NCFE relaunches as an educational charity and leader in vocational and technical learning – promoting and advancing learning for all

@NCFE’s rebrand reflects its commitment to providing learners, and the education sector, with smarter learning solutions.

The move demonstrates a new direction of travel for NCFE, to provide end-to-end, personalised education solutions that create a fairer society for all. 

NCFE, one of the UK’s leading awarding organisations, has today relaunched as an educational charity and leader in vocational and technical learning, providing a seamless end-to-end offering for learners, educators and institutions. This newly integrated delivery is reflected by the introduction of a revived single brand, also released today.

Focusing on outcomes that place inclusivity and fair access at the heart of learning, NCFE’s refreshed approach will build on insight and collaboration from both within and outside of the education sector. By going beyond the remit of a traditional awarding organisation, the organisation is aiming to ensure learners are given the opportunity, means and motivation to make the best possible ongoing choices about their futures.

NCFE has ambitions to become the country’s leading provider of transformational vocational and technical learning solutions in order to support and impact more learners. Offering qualifications, content, and innovative assessments that help thousands of learners to progress their skills and to personally develop throughout their lives, this progressive approach comes as a response to the well-documented gaps that exist across the education sector. NCFE is dedicated to addressing these gaps and tackling challenges head-on, with its renewed commitment to its core purpose; “to promote and advance learning”.

NCFE understands that the needs of every learner are different and a one-size-fits-all is not the most effective or sustainable approach to education and training. Consequently, its learning solutions will be developed using deep, data-driven insight to identify the areas of greatest need in order to meet those individual requirements through day-to-day delivery.

The approach has been inspired by NCFE’s refreshed vision which will benefit not only individual learners, but the wider education sector by:

• Ensuring everyone has the right and opportunity to access the highest-quality learning experiences.
• Creating learning journeys that support all learners in fulfilling their potential.
• Personalising all learning journeys to best meet the needs of learners and support the achievement of their desired goals.
• Recognising the value and critical importance of lifelong investment in learning.

NCFE relaunches with the same drive to serve learners and accommodate their needs, but there will be some significant changes to the existing brand:

• NCFE will retain many of its core capabilities and strengths, continuing its work as an awarding organisation, while also focusing its efforts on developing, funding and driving other initiatives. The outputs of this will benefit learners of all types, working across different specialisms and providing solutions from start to finish of a learner’s journey.

• Successful early years brand, CACHE, which became part of NCFE in 2015, will be integrated into the NCFE overarching brand and visual identity. NCFE will retain all CACHE qualifications, and care and education will remain a central part of NCFE as one of its main sector specialisms.

• Both Skills Forward and End Point Assessment Plus will also be integrated into NCFE’s overarching brand to make its offering clearer, more cohesive and streamlined for customers.

• Campaign for Learning, which was acquired and supported by NCFE over the past 24 months, will retain its own brand identity, but will continue to work collaboratively with NCFE where our combined expertise can benefit the needs of learners.

David Gallagher, Chief Executive of NCFE, said:

“Few decisions are more life-changing than the ones we make about learning. In learning we have the power to shape our future. To achieve more than we previously felt possible. To feel more valuable, and in turn, more valued. At NCFE, every one of us is in learning to improve people’s lives.

“We were born in 1848 from the belief that no learner should be left behind. Today, we take up that cause with new energy. We are excited to expand NCFE’s approach to provide a truly transformational service which offers learners a complete, end-to-end offering.

“Creating opportunities for all learners is at the heart of our long-term vision and the new brand will support us in achieving this – ensuring individuals from all walks of life can access world-class learning throughout their lifetime. Crucially, we want to ensure that learners are equipped to make positive, well-informed choices that will enable them to fulfil their ultimate potential.

“NCFE will continue to think ambitiously, providing an offer which incorporates insight, collaboration, inclusivity, fairness, choice, and resilience into all our products and services for learners.”

Zoe Lewis, Principal at Middlesbrough College commented:

“We are delighted with the steps NCFE is taking to drive education forward. Their proposed vision to think about the whole end-to-end experience, rather than small segments of a learner’s journey is welcomed, as so often this does not consider what has come before and what will be needed in the future.

“We support this changing role of NCFE in the education sector and look forward to working with them to provide the very best experiences for all learners.”