First Gold for College and Assessment North East

The first award of the Gold Equality and Diversity standard has been made by Assessment North East.

Northern College, in Barnsley, becomes the first college in the North of England to achieve the accolade, which commends excellence in equality and diversity practices through the Committed2Equality (C2E) standard.

The Gold award sees them elevated into the top 10% of organisations being assessed against the standard. The C2E equality standard is a national assessment designed to enable organisations to reach their equality potential, and training and support in this area is provided to numerous organisations by Assessment North East, a C2E partner.

The C2E assessment process engages with organisations, helping them to build knowledge and a greater understanding of equality and diversity issues in the workplace and in the community.

Northern College Presentation Robert Macleod MBE, managing director of Assessment North East, presented the award to the college.

"Achieving an equality award is no mean feat, but to attain our Gold Standard recognises the seriousness of the college and their team's commitment to providing services and a place to work that values everyone's contribution. It is a tremendous achievement and something the college should be very proud of," he said.

"The college is joining a small, but growing group of organisations that recognise that we are a diverse society and that treating people fairly has real benefits."

College Principal, Jill Westerman, said: "I am delighted that the Northern College has been awarded the Committed2Equality Award. We work hard at the College to make sure that everyone is valued and treated with respect whatever their background. Achieving the Gold Standard is a great recognition of our commitment to equality and diversity."

To achieve the Gold Standard, an organisation needs to achieve over 90% in their final assessment. C2E remains the market leading equality and diversity standard and the only one that has been externally verified by an awarding body.