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A North East college has achieved double success in a national awards scheme that celebrates the positive business impact of skills programmes.

Gateshead College scooped two accolades in this year’s Princess Royal Training Awards, one of only three organisations to win two awards. The college was recognised for its commitment to tackling and developing awareness of mental health, and for its coaching and people development programme.

The college has been recognised for investing in a coaching methodology to develop its staff, with 35 employees developed as coaches to work with other staff members and support their development.

The college also developed a mental health programme to encourage staff to manage their own wellbeing and help them support other staff and students.

As a result of the programme, mental health-related staff absence rates are now significantly lower than the national average, almost 90% of staff have completed mental health training and the college says there has been increased willingness from employees to talk about their mental health challenges so they can be given the support they need at the earliest stage.

College principal and CEO Judith Doyle said: “These two awards are fantastic recognition for our college and perfectly highlight the importance as an organisation that we place on developing the skills and well-being of our people.

“Looking after the health and well-being of our valued employees sits at the heart of everything we do and the results and rewards speak for themselves. We’re the top-performing college in the country, which demonstrates our staff and our learners have benefited from the culture of continuous improvement we’ve put in place here.”

Northumberland manufacturing firm Essity and transport operator Go North East, both of whom work with Gateshead College, were also among the 48 organisations to be recognised in awards.