This achievement highlights our commitment to creating a college community built on fairness, inclusivity, opportunity, and wellbeing – setting the standard for good work across the North East.
What is the SHINE Award?
The SHINE Awards celebrate employers who go above and beyond to provide safe, supportive, and rewarding workplaces. Businesses and organisations are recognised at three levels – Foundation, Intermediate, and Advanced – by demonstrating progress across five key “beams” of good practice:
Employee Wellbeing – supporting staff health, happiness, and safety.
Community Impact – making a difference beyond the workplace.
Employee Voice – ensuring every voice is valued and heard.
Opportunity for All – promoting fairness, inclusivity, and equality.
Fair Work and Pay – upholding high standards of fairness and transparency.
What Advanced Accreditation Means for Us
Reaching Advanced Accreditation means New College Durham has achieved excellence across all five beams of the SHINE framework. We put wellbeing at the heart of our community, listen and act on the voices of staff and champion equality and inclusivity in every part of our work. We also make a positive local impact by connecting learning with the wider region, and finally the college is committed to fair pay and ethical standards at every level.
“This award is more than recognition – it’s a celebration of the culture we’ve built together,” explained Deputy Principal of New College Durham, Alison Maynard, adding
“It shows our staff, students, and partners that we lead with fairness and opportunity. It also highlights New College Durham as an employer of choice in the North East and It reinforces our mission to provide not just education, but a better way of life for everyone in our community.
“We couldn’t have achieved this without the dedication of our staff and the support of our community. Together, we are shaping a brighter future and the Advanced SHINE Accreditation is just the beginning – we will continue to lead by example, ensuring New College Durham remains a place where people truly thrive.”