QIA STAR Awards 2006
Eighteen STARs from the learning and skills sector are celebrating their success today after receiving a National Award from Dame Kelly Holmes and Krishnan Guru-Murthy at the glittering QIA STAR Awards Ceremony in London.
The winners were selected from over 3,000 individuals nominated by learners, colleagues, and managers from around the country. They come from workplaces all over the sector, including further education colleges, community-based providers, private sector providers, employers and adult education institutions.
Each winner took home £2,000, a trophy and the 2006 QIA STAR Awards title.The QIA STAR Awards Judging Panel chose the unsung heroes of the learning and skills sector as winners. They are all people who have made a difference to the lives of learners through their work.
STAR Award winners 2006
Outstanding FE Practitioner, sponsored by LLUK:
Maria Rounding, East Riding College
Outstanding Basic Skills Practitioner, sponsored by Protocol Training:
Patricia Barr, HMP Manchester
Outstanding Adult and Community Learning Practitioner, sponsored by NIACE:
Robert Randall, Adult Education in Gloucester
Outstanding Work-Based Learning Practitioner, sponsored by ConstructionSkills:
Steve Murphy, Plymouth College of Further Education
Outstanding Work with Offenders, sponsored by the Association of Colleges:
Steve Perkins, HMP Blackenhurst
Outstanding E-learning Practitioner, sponsored by Microsoft:
Chris Liddell, Clarkson Evans
Outstanding Volunteer, sponsored by Tribal:
Gary Axford, Riverside Centre
Outstanding Subject Learning Coach, sponsored by the Learning and Skills Network:
Richard Spencer, Bede College
Outstanding Member of Support Staff, sponsored by UNISON:
Pam, Harland, City College Manchester
Outstanding Support to Learners, sponsored by learndirect:
Connie Brown, Ashton Sixth Form College
Outstanding Support Team, sponsored by the Learning and Skills Council:
Homelessness Project Team, Bury Adult Education Centre
Outstanding Leadership, sponsored by the Centre for Excellence in Leadership:
Graham Verrall, HMP Dartmoor
Outstanding Work with an Employer, sponsored by the Learning and Skills Council:
Maggie Unwin, Work Solutions
Outstanding Innovation and Inspiration, sponsored by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority:
Bridget Ely, City of Bristol College
Outstanding Work with Learners with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities, sponsored by Remploy:
Rob Bates, West Nottinghamshire College
The Equality and Diversity Special Recognition Award:
Shamsol Hoque, Tower Hamlets College
Learner's Choice Award, sponsored by the Daily Mirror:
Abdellatif Erraoui, Birmingham Adult Education Services
Lifetime Achievement, sponsored by the Institute of Learning:
Libby James, Worcester Sixth Form College
Andrew Thomson, Chief Executive of the QIA, congratulated all of the winners:
"The QIA STAR Award winners have made a difference to the lives of learners, to colleagues and to the sector. They act as an inspiration to millions of learners across England and their commitment in the pursuit of education is something we can all be proud of. Each of these individuals truly deserves recognition."
Case Study 
Patricia Barr, Skills for Life Coordinator at HMP Manchester 2006 winner of Outstanding Basic Skills Practitioner.
Trish has worked in Prison Education for nearly 20 years, showing an exceptional ability to teach Basic Skills, especially reading, to the most disaffected students, many of whom have limited social and communication skills. She organises the Toe by Toe scheme in which 25 prisoners have become literacy mentors to up to three students each. Her provision has received The Basics Skills Good Practice Award.