Staff celebrates ten years of student finance in Darlington

Almost half of the employees who started working at the Student Loans Company (SLC) at its launch still work there now, with 50 staff marking ten years of service. The team started out in Mowden Hall in Darlington in 2006, before SLC took up permanent residence at the Memphis building in Lingfield Point in 2008.

The Company is now one of the area’s biggest employers, with over 1,400 staff working to process over 1.4 million student finance applications every year for students across the country.

Assessment manager Nichola Malton, one of the longest serving staff members, organised the celebrations.

Nichola said: “We hosted an event for those who were part of the early beginnings of the Company’s Darlington growth and reminisced over what the last ten years have brought for everyone, both personally and professionally.

“Those who have been here from the start are now working in various roles in HR, Facilities, Contact and Processing. It is interesting to see their career journeys and commitment to the company over ten years and how much it has developed since the early days.

“It’s also great to see how the company has progressed and how many improvements have been brought in over the years to make things easier for customers and for those working to deliver a good service for them.”

Nichola moved from working in student finance for a local authority to a team manager position at Student Finance England with around 15 staff to manage. She is now the Assessing Department Manager in the Processing Unit and oversees the funding applications for thousands of students in England and around 350 staff.

Derek Ross, Director of Finance, Strategy and Corporate Services for the Company, added: “It’s hard to believe that a decade has passed since we started working on the delivery of student finance in Darlington.

“We’ve been made to feel very at home here and are pleased to have brought job and career development opportunities to the area, including apprenticeship schemes through local colleges.

“It’s been a pleasure to watch staff develop in their roles and progress in their careers at the Company and I’m excited to see what the next decade brings.”

The Student Loans Company also has offices in Glasgow and Llandudno Junction in Wales.