New Mayoral accreditation scheme shows Londoners where to train for jobs of the future

A new scheme that recognises the best quality skills training courses in the capital has been launched today by Jules Pipe, the Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration & Skills (Wednesday 29 June).

TheMayor’s Skills Academies Quality Mark is awarded annually to successful London adult learning providers offering high-quality training in six industries, with a focus on digital, health and social care, green, construction, hospitality and the creative industries. From today, Londoners and employers can use the Quality Mark to identify excellent, industry-relevant training in the capital. 

 Jules Pipe today visited West London College, one of the 25 adult learning providers accredited through the Quality Mark scheme, to learn more about their green skills provision and congratulate them on their accreditation. West London College received three Quality Marks for their Green, Health & Social Care and Construction learning provision. 

To achieve the Quality Mark, training providers needed to demonstrate their training responds to employers’ needs, raise awareness of their particular sector, ensure that their courses are inclusive and sustainable, and also outline their commitment to helping Londoners into good work.  

At West London College, Jules Pipe met with some of the learners on one of the green skills courses. The Deputy Mayor also observed a wall insulation training session and found out more about the plans West London College has for their New Green Skills Academy Site. 

Jules Pipe, Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills at City Hall said: 

“I’d like to congratulate the 25 organisations that have been awarded the Mayor’s Skills Academies Quality Mark. This new accreditation recognises high-quality training that meets the needs of London’s employers and supports Londoners into good jobs. 

“It was great to visit the teams at West London College today who have just been accredited with three Quality Marks to see exactly how they are supporting Londoners to get the skills training they need to succeed. 

“The Mayor and I are committed to building a better London for everyone – a safer, fairer, greener and more prosperous city for all Londoners. This Quality Mark will help Londoners identify those organisations providing excellent industry-relevant training and I encourage people to look out for this accreditation when they are seeking new training opportunities.

Karen Redhead OBE, Principal and CEO at West London College, said: 

“We are delighted to receive the Mayor’s Skills Academies Quality Mark, recognising our commitment to providing high quality, employment-focused training. The Quality Mark supports our mission to inspire learning and improve lives through education, training and skills development that supports social and economic success for our students, businesses, and communities across West London.”

David Warnes, Deputy Principal at West London College, added: 

“Receiving the Mayor’s Skills Academies Quality Mark underpins our vision for the West London Green Skills Hub to equip those in West London, especially people hardest hit by the pandemic, with the skills and experience needed to secure jobs in the green economy.”