Corporate Vision January 2017

58 CORPORATE VISION / January 2017 , NOCN is a leading Awarding Organisation and Apprentice Assessment Organisation that has been creating learning opportunities for 30 years. We caught up withManaging Director Graham Hasting-Evans to learnmore. Success in the Skills Sector NOCN is a successful Awarding Organisation providing qualifications, examinations and certifications in Further Education in the UK and overseas. It is also a leading Apprentice Assessment Organisation, appointed to deliver end-point assessments as part of the UK government’s apprenticeship reforms. As one of the top three assessment providers in England NOCN acts as an educational consultant to governments, organisations, employers, professional bodies and training providers, with customers in the UK, India, Middle East, Europe and Africa. Graham, who has been the firm’s Managing Director for six years, discusses the firm’s ongoing focus on growth in order to continue providing excellence for its clients. “Four years ago NOCN was a small UK Awarding Organisation, operating in a limited part of the market and struggling to compete. Now it is a successful international business, regarded as a leader, valued by its customers as a friendly, flexible and responsive partner. Testimony to the success of our ongoing growth strategy is the fact that NOCN now spearheads major policy developments and influences change throughout the skills industry. “As a charity, NOCN follows the Nolan principles and it is a firm believer in equality for all and is an accredited Leader in Diversity” One of the central management tools that Graham has brought to NOCN is the Balanced Scorecard from Harvard Business School, to support business strategy development and performance management. This innovative approach helps his team keep track of and identify issues and refocusing activities for greater impact. He discusses how his approach and how the skills and attributes he brings, help his organisation succeed. “Personally, my principles are driven by a desire to help people, providing qualifications and opportunities to transform lives. Everyone in society should have the skills they need to maximise their potential. “One of the biggest challenges I have overcome at NOCN has been the transformation of an organisation in difficulty into a successful business which I am proud to lead. Change is hard and there have been issues to overcome at every level, from top to bottom. “Even harder than internal transformation has been changing external perceptions of the organisation. NOCN was not regarded well when I joined. We have worked hard since then to rebuild our reputation: as experts, with high quality products, a trusted and reliable partner, focused on helping people achieve their potential and for businesses to thrive.” As a sector, skills and education is constantly evolving and developing; in particular it has massively changed through UK Government policy over the last five years. Another aspect of this dynamic sector is the use of technology in learning, an area which Graham believes is essential to stay ahead of as this will play a key part in the education of upcoming generations. “Technology is very important in education and we face a revolution in the way people access training and qualifications. It will not be long before a mobile device is the primary way to learn; not from a book or a website but on a phone or other smart device. This is certainly true, to a large extent, for our international markets where many learners, for example in India, are accessing courses exclusively online. The UK market is moving this way as well and we will see how the other big tech trends such as AI, AR and VR, will be used by the industry. Educators are naturally innovative and they like to explore new ways of delivering learning. NOCN is committed to providing learning opportunities for all and technology is certainly a great way to do this.” Looking to the future, Graham’s aspiration for NOCN is for it to be in the top ten for its industry in the UK and to be recognised as experts in the UK and internationally, and he believes that this is an achievable goal, as he proudly outlines in his concluding comments. “NOCN’s business strategy is to expand and diversify; it is already growing organically and exploring possible acquisitions, diversifying into new markets, products, customers and countries. In five years’ time, I want to be handing over a much bigger, better and more successful organisation to my successor, than the one I inherited.” K Company: NOCN Name: Graham Hasting-Evans Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.nocn.org.uk Address: 99 Parkway Avenue, Sheffield, England, S9 4WG Telephone: 0114 227 0500 1701CV82