DN Colleges Group named as the largest mainstream college provider of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards

The Group will continue to offer the DofE in a poignant week following the recent death of HRH Prince Philip, who was the founder of the international award which has seen millions of young people take on their own challenges and help make a difference in the community.

So far over 300 students across DN Colleges Group have signed up for the next awards, which will continue to provide young people with the skills and experiences that they may not have had the opportunity to engage with in the past.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme offers a range of challenges and possibilities with three levels to complete the programme. When successfully completed, they can lead to a bronze, silver or gold award. The main differences between them are the minimum length of time they take to complete, how challenging they are and the minimum age you can start.

DN Colleges Group CEO, Mick Lochran is a huge advocate of the awards which even saw him take part in DofE awards when he was a student.

The driving force behind the success at DN Colleges Group has been Stacey Blackwell. Stacey will continue to bring her skills and experience across North Lindsey College and Doncaster College to grow further the experience for students as Covid restrictions are lifted.

Stacey said: “The DofE award is a great opportunity for us to support and showcase our students' further skills and abilities. To be recognised as the largest mainstream FE provider is such an achievement for us as an organisation and all the staff involved in the delivery of this fantastic award.

Dave Skinner, DofE Operations Manager, said: “The partnership between The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and DN Colleges Group provides young people with the opportunity to take on personal challenges, setting themselves up with the skills, confidence and resilience to make the most of life. Standing as the biggest mainstream college provider running the DofE, DN Colleges Group uses the youth award to help transform the lives of its students and continues to innovate its offering, including the recent addition of a DofE apprentice role.”

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