Awards of Excellence 2023

Have the achievement of your college or polytechnic recognized on the world stage.

Deadline: The submission period ended on January 16, 2023

WFCP is pleased to announce its 2023 Awards of Excellence, recognizing outstanding contributions from member institutions and associations to achieving the vision of the Federation and celebrating accomplishments in the global colleges and polytechnics sector.

The Awards seek to distinguish WFCP member institutions and individuals whose exceptional initiatives are strengthening applied learning and research outcomes. The Awards celebrate remarkable contributions to skills development and the wider economic and social development. The WFCP Awards of Excellence honor and support higher standards in applied education institutions and offer the opportunity to showcase and foster best practices in the sector.

Eligibility Criteria

The Awards program is open to all WFCP members, regardless of type of membership, and their member institutions. To find a complete list of WFCP members, please visit our website. To be eligible for consideration, nominees should have made a significant and sustained contribution in one of the thirteen categories.

Individual Categories

Outstanding Student Achievement Award recognizes outstanding individual achievements or contributions that have an internal impact on their institution and on their community. Nominees must be current student members of a WFCP institution or have been a student within the past year. Students can be nominated for the award based on the following criteria including exceptional academic achievement; outstanding effort; commitment to a charitable cause; commitment to environmental sustainability; significant contribution to the wider community; a remarkable demonstration of compassion or kindness and resilience in the face of adversity.
Outstanding Educator Award seeks to reward the individual whose passion, knowledge and skills have inspired student’s success and who has made a major contribution to educational life within an institution. It is open to anyone working as an educator in a WFCP member institution. Only one member of staff can be nominated from an institution. The nomination should give evidence of excellent impact on learners’ progress, attainment, and growth; their colleagues’ (through professional development and example) and their institution’s (reputation in the subject area); establish that the nominee’s commitment has been broadly evident over their career to date; describe how this educator has brought about positive change beyond their own learners and provided a leadership role model for teaching colleagues and students.
Leadership in Diversity and Inclusion Award seeks to recognize a leader who has exhibited an outstanding commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and has demonstrated exemplary contributions to developing a diverse and welcoming culture where everyone can thrive.
Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates a leader of a WFCP member organization (membership body or institution) who has dedicated many years (8 or more) to serving the technical, vocational, and professional education sector. It will be given to the individual who, in the opinion of the judging panel, deserves to be honored for his or her contribution to TVET in honor of service and contribution to the college and institute system nationally and internationally. The nominator should state what they consider to be the major achievements of the nominee throughout their career emphasizing how they have enriched the lives of those in the institutions and locally/regionally/nationally and/or globally. The final sentence of your nomination should be a statement of what you believe is likely to be their legacy.

Organization Categories

Applied Research and Innovation Award recognizes an institution or institutional association that has demonstrated excellence in addressing real-world challenges through applied research.
Sustainable Development Goals Award recognizes an institution or institutional association that has demonstrated excellence in advancing three or more of the 17 SDGs through knowledge, tools, practices, and technologies, including signing the global SDG Accord.
Cyber and Data Security and Social Engineering Award recognizes an institution/organization that has demonstrated excellence in the innovative application and use of technology, training/development and developed personal practice to protect systems, data and individuals from the increasing global threat posed by professional and criminal cyber security attacks.
Construction Award recognizes an institution/organization that has demonstrated excellence in the development and delivery of modern construction practices that ensure effective and efficient future focused construction project delivery which considers the future sustainability ambitions and needs of this sector.
Global Citizenship Award recognizes an institution or institutional association that has demonstrated its commitment to providing the best experiences and exemplary strategies and tools to prepare students for global citizenship.
Teacher Professional Development Award recognizes an institution or institutional association that has demonstrated excellence in teacher professional development.
Tourism and Hospitality Award recognizes an institution or institutional association that has demonstrated its commitment to providing excellence in advancing higher level technical skills and knowledge within the tourism and hospitality sector.
Strategic Leadership Award recognizes an institution or institutional association that has demonstrated excellence in leading professional and technical education and training.
Indigenous Education Award recognizes an institution or institutional association that has demonstrated its commitment to Indigenous learners and communities and to advocacy priorities and positions related to Indigenous education and skills development.

Submission Instructions

To be considered for an Individual and/or Organization Award of Excellence, you must submit the appropriate nomination and any required supporting testimonies via our website by December 5^th, 2022 (11:59 p.m. Canada/US Eastern Standard Time).

Applications received after this date will not be considered. There is no limit to the number of nominations a single institution can submit, however the institution is limited to one nomination per category.

Please note applications must be submitted only in English. No pictures, videos or hyperlinks can be included in the application.

Award recipients will be informed in March 2023 and profiled through WFCP events, including the 2023 Congress and/or future WFCP webinars.

Save the date! WFCP’s 2023 World Congress will take place in Montréal, Canada on April 23-25, 2023.

For any further questions, please contact the WFCP Secretariat at secretariat@wfcp.org.

Photo Gallery

World Best Practices Guide

Learn about previous Awards of Excellence winners in our World's Best Practice Guides, which feature award winning institutions, individuals and projects engaged in professional and technical education and training (PTET) from around the world. The Guides demonstrate the responsiveness, innovation, and focus of Federation members; it is designed to offer guidance to other actors in PTET as they embark on their own projects to enhance the education they offer and the learning their students receive.

Learn More