The Skills and Education Group has released its latest annual Impact Report, celebrating the achievements and impact of the Group in the last academic year.

The Report includes statistics, stories, case studies and videos to showcase the successes of all parts of the Group, including Skills and Education Group Awards, Skills and Education Group Access and BIIAB.

Hard copies of the Report were released at the Group’s Parliamentary Reception at the House of Lords on 19 April 2023. A digital version of the Report is also available, which contains a variety of songs to provide a musical backdrop to the story of the Group.

An extra special year

2022 was the Skills and Education Group’s Double Emerald Jubilee, marking 110 years since the roots of the organisation were founded. In May 2022, the Group held a conference and dinner to celebrate this anniversary, which featured a variety of keynote speeches, panel discussions, and training seminars.

Reflecting on the Report, and on a successful year for the Group, Chair of Trustees Atholl Stott said: “I hope you enjoy finding out more about the work we do and the impact we make. I’d like to heartily thank each and every one of our staff, stakeholders and customers for their commitment to and action in furthering skills and education. Without you, we wouldn’t be the success we are today.”

Paul Eeles, Chief Executive of the Group, said: “In this past year, we’ve had so much to celebrate, including our 110-year anniversary, our annual conference and the launch of our new podcast. Most rewarding of all, we’ve supported more learners than ever before.

“As we look ahead to the rest of 2023 and the years beyond, I am excited about our future and the opportunity to contribute to even more positive change for learners, their families and their communities.”

You can find more reflections from our Trustees and Chief Executive in the Report.

In-demand Foundation funding

The Skills and Education Group Foundation, launched in 2019, champions and accelerates social mobility, providing grants to support learners and education providers.

In 2021/22, the Foundation’s funding was in high demand and we ended up supporting 50% more learners than we anticipated. We directly funded 149 individuals with £82,405 given in total. This total included our Learner Grants, designed to help learners overcome social barriers and reach their potential, along with our Action Research Grants and Resources and Facilities Grants, which were new for this academic year. These grants support a mix of vocational, general educational, SEND, and welfare and well-being goals across our membership.

To find out more about the funding provided, and to read about how it was used, download the Impact Report.

Supporting more learners than ever before

In 2021/22, the Group supported more learners than ever before through our qualifications and assessments. Through Skills and Education Group Awards, we awarded almost 15,950 qualifications, while we awarded a further 52,000 through BIIAB. We also helped 264 apprentices to achieve their apprenticeships through our end-point assessments.

Through Skills and Education Group Access, we awarded 1660 Access to HE Diplomas, helping learners progress to higher education.

You can find out more about our awarding services and read success stories from learners and providers in the Report.

Explore the Impact Report

We hope you enjoy your interactive journey through the story of the Skills and Education Group in 2021/22. Be sure to listen to the songs as you read through – you can find all the songs in this Spotify playlist too.

The Report also includes links to every episode of Series 1 of our Let’s Go Further podcast, which launched in September 2022. This podcast shines a spotlight on education and the role it plays in transforming lives.