NSCG Digital Content Creator Becky Howard Named ‘Rising Star’ at National Marketing Awards.

The national award recognises emerging talent within the Further Education (FE) marketing sector who demonstrate exceptional growth, creativity and impact.

Becky’s journey began in 2022 while she was still enrolled at NSCG completing her HNC/D in Digital Content Creation at NSCG Stafford College. Recommended by her lecturers for a vacancy within the College’s own Marketing department. 

Despite competing against candidates with many more years of industry experience, Becky’s well-planned portfolio and dual perspective as a recent student secured her the role before she had even finished her studies.

In the years since, Becky has become a key visual storyteller. Managed by the Senior Digital Marketing Officer, she is responsible for planning and producing high-quality media across three campuses, with a specialist focus on short-form content for TikTok and Instagram Reels. Her role requires a delicate balance of technical skill and stakeholder liaison, where her calm confidence ensures she gets the best results from academic staff and students alike.

Becky’s most significant achievement to date is the successful launch and scaling of the NSCG Digital Ambassadors programme. Recognising the need for authentic, student-led video, Becky was tasked in building the initiative from the ground up, recruiting a cohort of 20 students to produce voluntary content. Starting small in October 2023, these ambassadors have since gone onto produce nearly 100 pieces of social media content, leading to the incredible growth of the Groups Instagram and TikTok channels.

Since Becky started at NSCG, the Newcastle TikTok channel has grown from zero to 1.5K followers in a single year, while the Stafford channel reached 1.2K. And she has also driven significant growth on Instagram, with the Newcastle account rising from 5.4K to 6.7K followers.

Beyond social media, Becky has shown remarkable technical development. Initially having limited experience in brand photography, she proactively mastered flash photography and composition to lead the creative output for the Group’s 2025 Summer Adult Guide. This flagship publication, which she creatively led independently just 36 months into her career, stands as a testament to her dedication and desire to improve her design and professional photography skills.

What truly sets Becky though apart is her commitment to capturing the essence of college life, often going above and beyond her core hours. Whether boarding a bus at 7am or spending a week in Portugal to cover a football enrichment trip, she consistently seeks out the stories that drive NSCG’s reputation.

The Rising Star Award at the CMN Conference is one of the most competitive categories, highlighting individuals who are expected to shape the future of college marketing. Becky’s win reinforces NSCG’s commitment to nurturing talent from within its own classrooms and sets a high benchmark for creative excellence within the sector.

Senior Digital Marketing Officer, Dan Thomas said: "Becky fully embodies the spirit of the Rising Star award. She thinks strategically about how her work impacts wider campaigns and has built a scalable initiative from scratch that simply did not exist before. She is a true asset to NSCG and a professional who delivers far beyond the expectations of her role."