IfL deputy chief executive honoured at Buckingham Palace

Lee Davies, deputy chief executive at the Institute for Learning (IfL), was honoured at Buckingham Palace today, when His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh presented him with a Highly Commended Certificate in recognition of his outstanding contribution to vocational training and development. The election of this award is part of the selection process for the annual Prince Philip Medal, which is the personal gift of His Royal Highness in his capacity as president of the City & Guilds of London Institute.

Mr Davies started his career in plumbing as an indentured apprentice with Portsmouth City Council in the early 1980s. He successfully completed his City & Guilds craft certificate in plumbing and his advanced craft certificate, both with distinction, at Highbury College, Portsmouth. Greatly motivated by the teaching staff at the college, he accepted an offer to teach part-time evening classes. By the age of 22, he had a full-time teaching position.

During 12 highly successful years at Highbury College, Mr Davies was promoted to senior lecturer in charge of plumbing and electrical installation and eventually became head of school and leader of the college’s Unicorn Centre, a prestigious construction craft and engineering training centre in the heart of Portsmouth. He left Highbury College to become district secretary of the Thames and Solent District of the Workers' Educational Association, and was there for six years before joining the newly formed Institute for Learning in 2004. 

Mr Davies said, "I don't consider myself exceptional, but I have been exceptionally fortunate. I received an exceptional apprenticeship at Portsmouth City Council, and worked with some of the most professional plumbers I have ever met. I was fortunate to be taught plumbing by exceptional teachers, people who were brilliant craftsmen and equally brilliant teachers – true dual professionals. They inspired me to teach. At Highbury College, I was fortunate to work with and eventually lead some exceptional teachers. And now I am fortunate to work at the very heart of teaching professionalism, at the Institute for Learning – the professional body for teachers and trainers – where I lead some of the most innovative developments ever to have reached teachers and trainers working in further education and skills.

"I am honoured to be chosen for this award – for myself and for the 200,000 or so other teachers and trainers who, every day, make a difference to hundreds of thousands of learners."

Toni Fazaeli, IfL's chief executive, said, "We are enormously pleased to see this public and well-deserved recognition of Lee's achievements. He is a superb example of what makes further education great. Many talented chefs, engineers, hairdressers, care workers and plumbers – to name but a few – make the move from business, industry and commerce to teach and train in FE and skills. They become gifted teachers and trainers, as teacher training prepares them to be experts in both their subject and in teaching and learning.

"Lee has played a pivotal role in the reform agenda, and this is a proud day for him, for teaching and training professionals, and for all his colleagues at IfL."