YMCA Awards has earned a reputation for pushing boundaries. Hardly surprising when you consider that we’re part of a movement which has been at the forefront of social policy reforms for more than 175 years. A movement which has often challenged conventional thinking, and at times taken controversial decisions which were unpopular in their day, but which now in our modern times seem apparent, reliable and morally astute.

Leading awarding organisation YMCA Awards will be sponsoring the Association of College Sport (AOC Sport) Fitness Trainer Competition for Gym Instructors in 2016. YMCA Awards originally set up the Fitness Trainer Competition to showcase high standards of Fitness Instructors & Personal Trainers in the UK, before the reins were handed over to AOC Sport.

Bob Harrison, has been appointed to the board of trustees at Central YMCA – which includes the awarding organisation YMCA Awards as an operating division.

Harrison brings a wealth of experience to the role, having been chief examiner at vocational education specialists City and Guilds for 12 years, and a member of the Ministerial Educational Technology Action Group. He was also a member of FELTAG, whose breakthrough report on learning technology has helped to shape further education’s digital future. Bob was recently announced as a judge at the prestigious Stanford University education technology expo in the USA.

We are delighted to announce that Y-Go, the pioneering new app for YMCA Awards learners, has won Innovation of the Year at this year’s Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB) Awards! 

How can we expect to keep up with the millennials, those tech-savvy digital natives, the uber-connected Generation Ys? We don’t even know what to call them, never mind how to engage them!

On 24th September 2015, we’re delighted to be hosting a Digital Learning Symposium at Jisc’s offices in London. The event is to encourage discussion around the use of digital technology for learning, and the hooks that engage and stimulate learners to succeed. We'll also be showcasing support that is available free of charge.

The event also links to our eLearning report, coming soon following research and meetings with learners and providers.

Tara Dillon, CEO of CIMSPA is supporting our work in digital learning and comments,

YMCA Awards training days are a fantastic way to get support in delivering your qualifications, and we’re always looking at how to improve them. We recently received the following invaluable feedback from you on our standardisation training days: