Jobs are set to go at North East awarding organisation the Northern Council for Further Education (NCFE) as part of a company restructure.
The Newcastle-based organisation – the 海角视频’s oldest awarding organisation – has launched a consultation with a number of employees amid moves to boost efficiency and connectivity between its teams. The company, which was established in 1848 and named in the 2020 list of the top 100 list Best Not–For–Profit Organisations to Work For, said a consultation with staff is due to conclude at the start of next month, and that a full support package will be in place to help those who are affected.
A spokesman said that NCFE has scaled up resources to support more and more learners each year, and that the proposed restructure was in place “to increase connectivity between teams, drive up quality and ensure we’re continuously adapting and improving to work in the most streamlined way”.
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David Gallagher, NCFE chief executive, said: “NCFE is the 海角视频’s oldest awarding organisation (founded in 1848) and as an educational charity, we need to ensure that we remain efficient and impactful for the providers and learners we support. The proposed restructure is in place to increase connectivity between teams, drive up quality and ensure we’re continuously adapting and improving to work in the most streamlined and customer-centric way. While nothing has been finalised, unfortunately it is likely that some roles will be lost as part of this process.
“We will make every effort to ensure the number of colleagues impacted by the changes is minimised and a full package of support will be in place to help those affected. We estimate that this will be a maximum of 25 people from our workforce of more than 700, but are doing everything we can to reduce this. These changes will ensure we have the most efficient and effective business to operate for a further 175 years.”
Over the years the organisation has helped hundreds of thousands of learners to further their careers, through its extensive range of general and vocationally related qualifications. Recent years have seen NCFE widen its portfolio with two key acquisitions.
At the start of the pandemic in April 2020 NCFE, which is based at Quorum Business Park, brought another teaching company, Campaign for Learning, into the organisation, having worked together on a number of policy-led research projects and publications. Last November it acquired leisure and wellbeing business Active IQ, in a move designed to offer a broader portfolio of qualifications for customers.