Northern Council for Further Education

NCFE, previously the Northern Council for Further Education, is an Awarding Organisation nationally recognised by the qualification regulators for each country in the United Kingdom. In England, NCFE is regulated by the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator, whilst the Welsh Government regulate in Wales. Finally, the regulators in Northern Ireland are the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.

Also a registered educational charity, NCFE is responsible for the design, development and certification of qualifications and awards that are nationally recognised. The qualifications NCFE offer range from Entry Level up to Level 7. NCFE's range of qualifications include both vocational and academic courses.

The Northern Union of Mechanics’ Institutes (NUMI), NCFE's founding organisation, was established in 1848. NUMI's first report proclaimed its objective to "become a centre from whence the elements of knowledge and civilisation shall go on with an unceasing progress, conferring intellectual, scientific and moral blessings throughout the length and breadth of the Northern Counties."

In 1920, NUMI was succeeded by the Northern Counties Technical Examinations Council (NCTEC) and, for the following 61 years, was responsible for providing examinations and certifications to schools and technical colleges, where it was backed by 9 northern local education authorities.

In 1981, the NCTEC combined with the Northern Advisory Council for Further Education (NACFE), and became the Northern Council for Further Education.

In the 1990s, the education sector became independent from the government and NCFE became a national company, and thus were no longer known as the Northern Council for Further Education, but simply as the standalone NCFE.

NCFE has won a number of awards for the working culture it creates. The charity has been selected on more than one occasion as a Times Top 100 Company in the Not For Profit (NFP) category NCFE's first entry into the Top 100 came in 2007 in the Small Companies category, but the organisation has risen through the ranks each year:

NCFE offer a broad range of qualifications on a number of levels, from Entry Level right up to, and including, Level 7. NCFE are also frequently updating qualifications and introducing new awards in order to keep up with the changing education sector and to tackle the skills gaps.

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