EDT maintains consistent ‘excellent’ Merlin Standard for work with supply chains

Education Development Trust has been re-accredited against the Merlin Standard, which supports the development, recognition and promotion of sustainable excellence, and positive partnership working within supply chains.

The overall 2022 score is 89% (Excellent), a 3% increase from the score achieved in 2020 (Excellent) and a 9% increase from the original assessment in 2018 (Good).

This assessment shows how we continued to support our supply chain through the pandemic as well as adding strength in many areas to our supply chain management approach.

Laura Bell, Director of Employability and Careers, thanked the team that supported this assessment, commending their “ability to demonstrate our methods to the assessors.”

Laura said,

“The purpose of the Merlin Standard is to support, recognise and promote positive partnership working within supply chains and I am delighted that so many strengths were identified in our report.

“These include the way we ‘actively consult with our partners’ and that they ‘are able to contribute ideas’.  I am delighted that the assessors recognised that our approach to continuous improvement was ‘embedded within EDT’.

In the performance management element of the framework, the assessors noted ‘significant progress’ in the design, funding and quality assurance and compliance elements.

Assessors praised our approach to continuous improvement and the progress made to provide support to supply chain partners to ensure their policies are fit for purpose, particularly in safeguarding during the transition back to face-to-face working.

They also praised the introduction of monthly compliance meetings that actively facilitate the sharing of practices. Supply chain partners expressed how much they value the investment to hold these remotely. They said, it allows an ‘open and honest dialogue’ to take place with providers from different regions.

Find out more about Merlin Standard.