AAT shortlisted ‘across the board’ for FAB further education awards

The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) has been named as a finalist for three Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB) Awards, recognising two outstanding AAT students and how a relationship between the AAT and Mindful Education is enabling innovative delivery approaches at a critical time for further education (FE) provision in the United Kingdom.  

The FAB awards AAT has been shortlisted for: 

• ‘Awarding Organisation / Provider Relationship of the Year’ – AAT / Mindful Education and its groundbreaking blended learning approach to delivering accountancy education online and in the classroom 
• Learner of the Year – Katie Robinson of Northampton (Training Link, Staffordshire) 
• Apprentice of the Year – Stephanie Goodsell of the Wirral (Peak Accountancy Training, Macclesfield)  

AAT’s success in 2024 follows its fortunes last year, when the body was named a finalist for FAB’s Social Responsibility Initiative of the Year award, in recognition of AAT’s package of wellbeing support and resource. 

The two learners embodying excellence, modelling AAT’s real-world leadership 

Claire Bennison, AAT Executive Director of Customer, Partnerships and Innovation welcomed the news. 

“We’re thrilled to see AAT students Katie Robinson and Stephanie Goodsell make the shortlist along with our longstanding collaboration with Mindful Education. We are looking forward to celebrating their achievements at the awards event in November.” 

“Whatever the result,” Bennison said, “AAT remains incredibly proud of Katie, Stephanie and the whole team at Mindful Education. Their success is our success.” 

Bennison said both Katie and Stephanie exemplified the attributes of dedication, resilience and passion that were often key to success amongst AAT learners more generally.  

“Confronted with unique challenges that might have deterred others, these two women have achieved academic excellence themselves but have gone further: supporting the success of others. Stephanie showcased leadership in her workplace, while Katie shared her powerful story online to inspire others to achieve despite the odds.” 

“AAT is delighted to see the perseverance and sheer hard work that Katie and Stephanie applied to their AAT studies recognised on the national stage,” said the Executive Director. 

The two learners are no strangers to awards success. The FAB shortlistings follow Katie’s win as PQ Magazine’s Distance Learner of the Year in April, while both women were national winners at AAT’s Training Provider Awards held in March. 

Mindful Education recognised for blended learning innovation 

Mindful Education works with local colleges and other providers to deliver courses and apprenticeships in professional subjects including AAT's accountancy and finance qualifications. 

Managing Director Mark McKenna welcomed recognition of Mindful Education’s s partnership with AAT and what it has been able to support:

"Our collaboration with AAT demonstrates how technology can solve immediate challenges while driving long-term innovation in education delivery." 

Enabled by the partnership, the blended learning approach has already unlocked major improvements:  

• Widened accessibility for learners, through reduced transport costs and a new interactive transcription tool to support students for whom English is not their first language 
• Improved tutor experience, with more time spent facilitating discussion and fewer classroom hours lost to course content delivery and marking 
• Delivered efficiencies for training providers: reducing operational costs through market-leading learner analytics 
• Lifted the attractiveness of teaching careers by offering a better work/life balance and more flexible ways of working  

McKenna said providing access a trove of high quality resources and limitless support from Mindful Education’s experts had enabled AAT tutors to focus on the relational, faciliatory aspects of their role. He said this was something prized by current educators and potentially of great value to those considering a career change to a sector which has been plagued by chronic teacher shortages in recent years. 

Partnership helps tackle FE underfunding, recruitment challenge 

AAT’s Claire Bennison said the innovative model being pioneered by Mindful Education provided one way that financially stretched training providers could navigate the sector’s increasingly difficult funding environment. 

"For a further education and training sector faced with significant underfunding pressure, the AAT/Mindful Education partnership has been able to work alongside providers, harnessing technology to lower operating costs and improve the attractiveness of tutoring roles –all without compromising education quality or student outcomes.

In fact, Mindful Education have been able to improve student support in a number of tangible ways."

Award organisers, the Federation of Awarding Bodies, or 'FAB', represents more than 100 UK-based qualifications providers whose qualifications are being studied towards or used by millions of people every day. The Federation describes the FAB Awards as the sector's "pinnacle awards ceremony”.  

This year’s FAB Awards will take place on 25 November, in Leicester.