Tutor Bags Top Award (29/02/2008)

Key Skills tutor at The College of West Anglia, Yvette Pratt, scooped a rare City & Guilds Medal for Excellence award in recognition of her outstanding performance in the general learning sector.

Yvette from Snettisham is one of only 113 lucky people to scoop a City & Guilds Medal for Excellence for her exceptional work.

City & Guilds, the UK’s leading awarding body for work-related qualifications, has awarded the coveted medals every year since 1879. The Medals for Excellence programme rewards talented people who have displayed exceptional standards as students or educational professionals and whose portfolio and achievements put them a cut above the rest.

According to the City & Guilds judging panel, “Yvette clearly demonstrates her consistent dedication to her role through her leadership skills and her stamina to keep up with current initiatives in the ever changing world of education. She has faced the challenges that the merger of the two colleges has brought with it and worked with staff to ensure the value of Key Skills continues across the new sites. The college should treasure this valuable asset!”

Yvette will receive her City & Guilds award at a ceremony in Cambridge on Tuesday 4th March, a thrilled Yvette said, “This is a great unexpected honour. To be nominated for such a prestigious industry award is one thing, but to win is exhilarating. I am looking forward to receiving my award for teaching a subject that I enjoy and have a high level of enthusiasm for, which I impart to my learners. With the aid of dedicated admin staff and proactive teachers at the College of West Anglia, Isle Campus achievement rates have increased within one year from 39% to 76% for key skills. This dedication is also demonstrated across all campuses with a combined success rate of 82%”.

Yvette is now in the running to win one of eight prestigious Lion Awards, dubbed the ‘education Oscars’, which will be announced in April at a gala event to celebrate learning, success and achievement, at the Brewery in London.

Richard Bradley, Head of Science and Humanities at the College of West Anglia said, “Yvette has deservedly won this mark of special distinction. She is a real inspiration to students and fellow tutors and demonstrates that one person’s passion and enthusiasm can make an inspirational difference to teaching and learning”.