Mike Postle
Ambassador Co-ordinator
North West

Too Soon to Crow - but......

It's a bit too soon to crow about it, as entries have not yet been through the judging process, but in terms of entries this year the North West has done it again! In fact the entry statistics show that the region has improved on a very creditable second place last year to equal first (with London) this year with a total of 92 entries.

So let's allow ourselves a brief moment of satisfaction and reflect on the hard work that you - our Ambassadors have done to publicise and promote the Awards. It seems an age (and a huge difference in temperature as I swelter in my study typing this!) since we were meeting at a snow-bound Vocational College in Liverpool in January to discuss how we could promote the Awards further. I am aware of a lot of the hard work you have voluntarily undertaken in publicising, promoting and supporting NTA. So from me - a heartfelt thanks: your efforts have made a real difference.

The Assessors and then the North West panel of judges will now be doing their job and it will be fascinating to see if our record entries translate into a record number of awards for the region. We'll keep you posted on this.

So where now? For some, hopefully the majority, of your contacts their entry will result in an award in the Autumn. There's always satisfaction in this for us and perhaps there may be the opportunity to keep in contact with them and see what else they are doing which has the potential to become a future winning entry. Persuading folks to become serial entrants is always easier in the afterglow of a win!

For those whose entry does not meet the award criteria this year, there's perhaps an equally important job we may be able to do of encouragement. Very often the feedback the judges provide and the experience of putting a 2010 entry together, points to how the programme could be developed and evidenced to become a winner next year.

So from me, thanks - have a good summer break (when it comes) and please continue to help develop and celebrate training in the North West through the National Training Awards.