United Colleges Group (UCG) is proud to announce that it has been officially accredited as a Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard employer at Excellence level.

The Good Work Standard is awarded to organisations in London that demonstrate best practice across four pillars: fair pay and conditions, workplace wellbeing, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.

UCG’s accreditation of Excellence in education is testament to the hard work across its five campuses in the capital ─ which include City of Westminster College, College of North West London and the Cockpit Theatre ─ and recognises its focus on healthy, fair and inclusive working environments.

The accreditation panel highlighted several standout elements of United Colleges Group’s employment practices, including:

• Leadership in Ethical Procurement: UCG’s commitment to ensuring that organisations within its supply chain provide decent working standards, particularly with regard to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), which was highly praised.
• Focus on Workforce Wellbeing: The college campuses actively support staff wellbeing through partnerships with a credit union, a range of wellbeing events and dedicated days, robust mental health support systems ─ including an Employee Assistance Programme and the Good Shape service for managing staff absence.
• Empowering Employee Voice: United Colleges Group was also recognised for promoting open and regular workforce dialogue, including staff feedback mechanisms, trade union engagement and staff governor representation on its Board of Governors.

The news comes after UCG was officially recognised with its first Investors in People® (IIP) accreditation last year ─ as well as being ranked 53rd in the latest National Centre for Diversity’s Top 100 Inclusive UK Employers rankings, which made it the only central London institution to feature in the top 100.

Stephen Davis, CEO and Group Principal, United Colleges Group, said: “We are honoured to receive the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard at the Excellence level. This recognition reflects our deep-rooted values and aligns with our strategic aim of creating ‘a people-first culture that is inclusive, fair and responsive’.

“We believe that good work benefits everyone and are fully committed to being a model employer within the education sector and beyond by prioritising ethical leadership, staff wellbeing and engaging in positive and authentic dialogue with staff.”

Howard Dawber, Deputy Mayor for Business and Growth, said: “The Good Work Standard sets the benchmark for the highest employment standards and demonstrates that as an employer, you are contributing to a fairer and more inclusive London.

“Thank you again for your hard work and contribution to making London the best city in the world to work in.”