The Chippendale International School of Furniture has been named winner of the Outstanding Educational Service category at the 2015 Global Business Excellence Awards. The school, based in East Lothian, Scotland, is acknowledged as being one of the finest furniture design and restoration schools internationally, and last year celebrated its 30th birthday.
The Global Business Excellence Awards pride themselves on having a large panel of independent expert judges who select winners according to strict criteria for each category and sector, focusing on financial results, innovation, customer, employee, investor and community benefits.
Commenting on the Chippendale International School of Furniture, the chairman of the judges says: “Congratulations to the Chippendale International School of Furniture for putting British education in furniture design on the international map. The school runs intensive 30-week courses, and by combining its own in-house expert tutors with a rota of visiting experts, it offers training in old techniques and those using the latest technology. It has a reputation as a beacon of excellence, attracting pupils from all around the world and it is showcasing the UK as the place to go for expert training in furniture making.”
Last year, the school was also named winner of the Best Business category in East Lothian at the 2014 Best of the Best Business Awards, and a Best Business Award in the small- to medium-size category – an award that recognised how the school has enhanced the reputation of the UK as a centre of excellence in woodwork and craftsmanship.
Each year the school takes some 20 students from around the world for 30-week immersive courses, cramming three years of study into less than one year. This year’s intake comes from the UK, Canada, the US, France, Germany, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Russia. The school also runs taster courses throughout the year, allowing would-be woodworkers a chance to learn some basic skills and see whether a career in woodworking might be for them. In addition, the school offers incubation space on-site, so that graduating students can immediately set up in business and still have access to ongoing advice and specialist help. Over the summer, three new businesses set up on-site – in addition to the three already there.
Anselm Fraser, principal of the school, comments: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this prestigious award, which again underlines our status as an internationally-recognised furniture school – a school that continues to attract students from around the world. Furniture design and making is an age-old craft that also uses modern techniques and computer technologies – a something-old and something-new teaching course. We’re very pleased to have been recognised as an international place of learning in a niche area of education.”
