Derby Learners Scoop National Achievement Honours

The University of Derby’s Learning through Work team was again recognised at a national awards ceremony on Monday 15 October 2007. At the learndirect National Achievement Awards 2007, the Learning through Work Award category featured five out of six nominations related to Derby’s partnerships with employers and individual learners.

At Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, Mansfield based Mines Rescue Ltd took to the stage to claim top honours in the learndirect Learning through Work Award category. Working with Learning through Work at Derby, Mines Rescue is supporting 12 of its staff through degrees and higher education awards at Derby.

Last year Derby’s Learning through Work team within the School of Flexible and Partnership Learning at the University of Derby won the Times Higher Education Supplement Award for Most Imaginative Use of Distance Learning, and Derby has awarded more higher education qualifications to work-based learners than any other university, through its flexible and personalised study programmes.

Mines Rescue is an innovative business in a process of transformation. It adapted to the decline of Britain’s mining industry by diversifying its role. As well as remaining on call for some of the most challenging underground rescue situations the emergency services face, the company provides health and safety training and consultancy.

Mines Rescue’s Commercial Manager, Andrew Watson, started his own degree via Learning through Work at Derby last year. “I created my own degree in Mines Rescue Management, to help me develop the business, but it also opened a door to help our staff develop too.

“We’re so proud that our work and the hard work of our staff has been recognised in this way. I’d also like to praise Tracey for all the help and support she’s provided. Working with her, we identified skills needs and encouraged staff to get involved in learning.

“All our learners joined the coal industry straight from school with no qualifications, so it’s been important to build their confidence to help them succeed in pursuing degree level study. I see this training as essential for the future of the company. It suits my needs and our company’s,” said Andrew.