The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group is pleased to announce it has been accredited to the matrix Standard, demonstrating the high-quality Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) services it provides to its students.
Student feedback from the assessment cited that employees of the Group are passionate about supporting and empowering students to understand their options and achieve their full potential.
After successfully holding the matrix Standard since 2004 at Selby College and over a decade at Wakefield College, this marks the Group’s first accreditation as the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group.
Both College’s Careers Advice and Guidance services were accredited the matrix Standard, with Selby College’s Guidance Support Tutors (GSTs) and Wakefield College’s Course Information Team also being awarded the international quality standard for IAG.
Roger Chapman, Head of the matrix Service for The Growth Company said: “This is a fantastic achievement for the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group and I would like to congratulate the team on their success. We believe that at the heart of high-quality advice and support services are strong leadership, excellent service and a focus on continuous improvement, all underpinned by effective use of the resources available. The matrix Standard is designed to benchmark organisations against best practice in these areas. With their accreditation success, the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group is working to provide the best possible support to their students.”
Sam Wright, Principal and Chief Executive at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, said: “I’m delighted that both our Colleges have been reaccredited with the prestigious matrix Standard, marking our first accreditation as the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group. Colleagues across the Group work extremely hard to listen to students’ needs and to adapt our services to the evolving landscape of the careers and labour market. This enables us to deliver a comprehensive and responsive Careers Advice and Guidance service where students can explore the range of opportunities available to them and can make informed decisions regarding their future – which will ultimately enable them to reach their full potential and career goals.”
In line with the Gatsby benchmark, the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group provides a tailored careers programme, ensuring that all students receive personal guidance regarding their career options and opportunities.
It does this by supporting students with job applications, CV writing and interview processes, as well as arranging careers events including Employer, UCAS and University fairs and more.
Both Colleges have also invested in careers resources software which helps students find prosperous careers by providing the most current local data on wages, employment, job postings and associated education and training.
At Selby College, all full-time students have a named GST who monitors their progress and attendance and sets them individual targets through action planning. As a first point of contact for learners and their parents, GSTs also support students with careers advice, CV writing, job and Higher Education applications and any personal or social issues.
Wakefield College’s Course Information team is the first port of call for students seeking information about what courses are available to them and the steps they can take, before enrolling with the College.
“After a rigorous assessment process, I’m over the moon that we have been awarded our first matrix Standard accreditation as the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group. The report highlighted that we have strong leadership and partnerships within our careers-based provision, which enables us to effectively deliver a high-quality and robust Information, Advice and Guidance support service. I was also delighted to see students’ feedback within the report, which acknowledged the commitment and enthusiasm of our staff, as well as their approach to assessing students’ aspirations and life readiness, rather than focus solely on courses and jobs – which is something that we pride ourselves on,” said Leigh Allsopp, Head of Student Experience Support Services (Careers Leader), at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group.
Selby College has also been awarded the Humber Gold Standard for Impartial Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance.