United Colleges Group is pleased to announce it has been awarded its first Investors in People® (IIP) accreditation.

United Colleges Group (UCG) (formed of City of Westminster College (CWC), the College of North West London (CNWL) and the Cockpit Theatre), which provides courses and training across five campuses in the capital, has been officially recognised with the IIP Standard Mark in a testament to UCG’s unwavering commitment to employee development and organisational excellence.

The college is delighted that its positive track record of working with students, communities, government and employers has been recognised following a far-reaching and detailed assessment of the working environment at UCG, consisting of focus groups and individual interviews.

Collaborative working and professional development is highlighted in the report, where IIP found that more than 70% of staff look for improvement ideas from their colleagues, and 63% believe there is a focus at UCG on continued improvement.

Designing roles within UCG was categorised as “advanced” in the report, with more than 70% of staff in agreement that roles are designed to achieve the college objectives, and 61% saying they are trusted to try new approaches in the way that they work.

UCG is also well positioned to create sustainable success according to IIP, that categorises UCGs’ ability to embrace change and understand the external context as “advanced”. UCG’s strategic plan reflects the importance of context, in its commitment to “recruiting and retaining a diverse professional staff, student staff, leaders and governors that represent our student body and local community."

IIP made special mention of the standout scores within UCG’s Maida Vale campus, where staff are very satisfied with how they are managed and developed. Overall, across UCG, IIP highlight the significant investment and consultation taking place with members of the SLT (Strategic Leadership Team) and CLT (College Leadership Team).

Some of the staff responses in the assessment included:

• “My manager trusts me to get on with my job. He is there if I need additional support.”
•  "We remain focused on business development, increasing apprenticeships, and SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) provision.”
• "Our CEO is a great role model for training. He is always encouraging people to develop their skills.”
• “It's really important that we have values here. They are important in helping me review my own values.”

Stephen Davis, CEO and Group Principal, United Colleges Group, said: “United Colleges Group is, and always will be, committed to providing outstanding world-class education and skills.

“And, so, it was with great pride to learn that we had achieved the Investors in People® Standard — an accreditation that is known all over the world, which is granted to organisations that demonstrate a clear commitment to the people within them.

“The Investors in People® Assessor found noticeable improvements throughout the college. These included UCG looking outwards to strengthen the infrastructure, policies and procedures required to achieve high performance.”