QIA STAR Awards - winner case studies
Amanda Hemmer
Winner of the award for outstanding teaching, training and learning practitioner, Amanda Hemmer teaches visually impaired students at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford.
Amanda has instigated weekly dance and drama workshops for students during lunch breaks at the Royal National College for the Blind, as well as running evening theatre trips and workshops with visiting performers. These extra-curricular opportunities are aimed to motivate Amanda's students to excel and to encourage a passion for their subject.
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Eddie Bedford 
Winner of the award for outstanding contribution to Skills for Life, Eddie Bedford is a business lecturer at Leicester College.
Eddie uses a patient and caring approach to get the best out of his learners. He understands the difficulties many young people experience and is fundamental in supporting them through the challenges of what is, for some, a new start in learning.
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Marc Wood 
Winner of the award for outstanding provision of learning opportunities in response to learners' needs, Marc Wood is lead tutor of the Step-by-Step project, a key part of Brighton and Hove Council's strategy for helping single homeless people.
Along with other learning tutors from the Friends Centre, Marc goes into Brighton hostels to work with homeless people on a one-to-one basis, addressing their learning needs and helping them into college or the workplace. Marc set up this service in just six weeks, in response to the specific needs of this vulnerable community.
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Richard Crook 
Winner of the award for outstanding contribution to engaging employers, Richard Crook from Crook de Lyon Ltd. in Fakenham, specialises in development and training programmes.
Richard has been successful in setting up effective partnerships in order to kick-start learning for hard-to-reach, non-traditional learners and provide relevant programmes to meet the needs of the employer.
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One Complete Solution
Winner of the award for outstanding contribution to workforce development, One Complete Solution has been working to fully up-skill and integrate the cleaners and caterers at Ipswich Hospital whose first language is not English.
One Complete Solution worked in close partnership with the learning provider (WEA), the union learning rep and Suffolk Learning Link (SLL), to provide a bespoke and integrated service solution. It was delighted to take on a range of services at Ipswich Hospital and operate them through a skilled and committed on-site team.
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Roland Griffiths
Winner of the award for outstanding contribution in a support role, Roland Griffiths is an evening warden at Reaseheath College in Cheshire, which is a specialist land-based provider.
Roland is totally immersed and involved in his job, constantly seeking ways to engage students and promote positive attitudes. Roland has introduced a number of successful approaches to support the care and welfare of learners, including sporting and enrichment activities, care and safety of learners at night and mystery trips to places such as Alton Towers.
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Andrea Wilkinson
Winner of the award for outstanding contribution to learning support, Andrea Wilkinson works with school age children who study full time at Wakefield College because it has been inappropriate for them to continue in school.
Many of the children Andrea works with are disaffected and disengaged. Andrea works extremely hard to keep students on the programme by providing counselling, motivation and support. She has been described by colleagues as an exceptional learning mentor.
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Linda Ham
Winner of the award for outstanding leadership, Linda Ham leads the Estates Team at Alton College in Hampshire, where she has transformed the way in which caretakers and cleaning staff serve the organisation.
Under Linda's direction the Estates Team has managed to maintain the quality and attractiveness of Alton College's campus, despite several major building projects. Linda is extremely committed to achieving high standards and works tirelessly to provide clear and positive leadership. Her success is a shining example of distributed leadership at work.
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Oliver Tindall
Winner of the award for outstanding innovation, Oliver Tindall is a student support manager at Castle College, part of the Sheffield College, and is responsible for creating an enterprise culture across the whole college.
Oliver has successfully changed the culture at Castle College by introducing a range of activities, resources and programmes to embed enterprise as part of the core curriculum. Oliver has done an outstanding job in encouraging entrepreneurship amongst the students, giving them the skills to become the new business leaders our economy needs.
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Bill Leivers
Winner of the award for outstanding contribution to the development of the further education system, Bill Leivers is team leader at Loughborough College and is responsible for developing the e-Progress file.
Bill has successfully collaborated with schools to lead to successful outcomes for school learners in further education. He has developed the e-Progress file which is an electronic tool for setting targets, monitoring progress and recording achievement.
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