Chichester College Group
Chichester College Group has trained Britain’s furniture-makers and upholsterers for more than half a century, and in 2021 was awarded a Prize for its innovative approach to craft skills training.
An Alumni Story: Vicki Illingworth, Executive Principal and Deputy Chief Executive
Chichester College Group has trained Britain’s furniture-makers and upholsterers for more than half a century – but by 2005 student numbers across the country were in decline. As other craft skills providers were closing their doors, Chichester responded by revolutionising and expanding its offer. Since then, learners have grown by 500%, the Group has continued to develop its provision and, in 2021, it won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Education. Here, Executive Principal Vicki Illingworth explains the impact of the Prize.
Our focus has always been on changing lives through learning. It doesn’t matter at what level that happens, we always aim to be the very best we can be. But I think we’re not always the best at shouting about what we do. We have a tendency to be humble and just get on with it, which I think is common in our sector.
That’s why we started looking for more opportunities to showcase our work – and the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes are a very special way to do that. I think what the Prizes stand for reflects our aspirations, ethos and culture.
Before we applied, we looked at absolutely everything we were doing across the Group. We knew it had to be something exceptional, but it also had to be different to what other institutions were doing. Ultimately, we felt that our furniture and upholstery provision really stood out.
It was exciting for the teaching staff involved in the application. It’s a privilege to be recognised within your own organisation, and pulling all the evidence together is helpful because it reminds you of the value of what you do. We wanted to hold the team up and say – this is amazing, look at what they’ve done!
Winning was a huge source of pride for us all. To have this prestigious external validation, to be recognised at a national level, was quite emotional. It reminded me how lucky I am to work somewhere so forward-thinking and innovative, and it meant an incredible amount to everyone involved.
The Prize has made a difference on a number of levels. It’s helped to build our reputation in the community, with parents and our other local stakeholders. It says to them: this is a great place to come and develop these skills.
It sends a message to employers around the country that we’re delivering high quality training that meets industry needs. It helps with our international work as we reach out to the wider global market. And it goes beyond furniture and upholstery – it’s boosted everything we do.
We always include it in our bids for contracts and funding as supporting evidence, because it’s an endorsement at the highest possible level. And it does make a real difference.
It’s given us opportunities to speak to people we wouldn’t otherwise have been able to. In particular, I think it’s given us wider access to stakeholders that can enrich the students’ learning opportunities – employers, civic organisations, the voluntary sector and so on.
It’s also had an impact on the curriculum. As the Group has expanded, it’s encouraged us to grow our provision across our different sites. Now you can study from entry level one to level three, and potentially level four in the future. We’ve validated a higher education programme and we’re looking at how we can build the market for it, either in the workplace or as a full-time study programme.
So many positive things have come from it and we’re still feeling the impact. It’s raised our profile regionally, nationally and internationally, it’s opened doors, boosted morale and set a benchmark for the quality of what we do. But perhaps most importantly, it recognised – and celebrated – the incredible hard work of our staff.