The 2007 QIA STAR Awards national ceremony
More than 100 STARs of the further education system were honoured at a glittering awards ceremony in London on 26 November.
Staff and learners from across England gathered at Old Billingsgate for the annual QIA STAR Awards where they celebrated the achievements of the sector’s unsung heroes. The STAR Awards, now in their fourth year, recognise the dedication and expertise of those people who, on a daily basis, are making a significant contribution to improving the skill level of young people and adult learners.
The award winners were announced in front of an audience of shortlisted nominees, their nominators and special guests, including David Lammy MP, Minister for Skills. The Minister said: “The further education system has a crucial role in building economic success and social cohesion in this country. The STAR Awards celebrate quality and achievement across the sector, encouraging teachers and leaders to share best practice."
"With this Government's record funding and sweeping reforms in the FE system to meet employer's needs it is vital we show the country at large what a massive contribution FE plays in boosting our productivity and people's quality of life.
"Practitioners must be praised for their huge professionalism and outstanding dedication helping learners achieve their potential and develop their talents. Learners must be recognised for their hard work and drive getting the skills and qualifications they need for good jobs and careers.”
The finalists were nominated by other staff and learners who believe they have made a difference in the sector. Over 1,000 nominations were assessed by a panel of independent experts who had the difficult job of drawing up a shortlist and selecting the overall winners in 10 categories. The awards ceremony was hosted by Mike Baker, former BBC education correspondent, and Dr Floella Benjamin OBE.
Student showcases from a range of providers, including The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC), BMW, and City of Bristol College, demonstrated the breadth of skills within the sector and made it a magical night of performance and excellence.
Click here to see the winners of the 2007 QIA STAR Awards.
Click here to see photos from the ceremony
Winners of the 2007 QIA STAR Awards
Amanda Hemmer from the Royal National College of the Blind (Hereford) in the category of outstanding teaching, training and learning practitioner sponsored by the Institute for Learning (IfL)
Amanda introduced dance and drama to the Royal National College for the Blind as a personal initiative in 1992 when the thought of people with visual impairment being dancers or actors was inconceivable. Amanda shows great sensitivity to learners, some with additional disabilities, and has changed some individuals from being unable to take a step without the help of another person to joyous, independent and confident movement.
Eddie Bedford from Leicester College in the category of outstanding contribution to Skills for Life sponsored by The Mirror
Eddie is a business lecturer at Leicester College who uses a flexible, patient and caring approach to get the best out of his learners. He understand 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.
Marc Wood from the Friends Centre (Brighton) in the category of outstanding provision of learning opportunities in response to learners’ needs sponsored by Remploy
Marc joined the Friends Centre to run the Step-by-Step project in October 2005, helping to meet the basic needs of rough sleepers, ex-offenders and young people at risk. Not only did Marc manage to get the service up and running in just six weeks, he has also progressed 50% of clients into mainstream learning and 35% of clients have gone on to engage in other meaningful occupations around work or learning.
Richard Crook from Crook De Lyon Development and Training (Fakenham) in the category of outstanding contribution to engaging employers sponsored by Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK)
Richard has been highly effective in setting up effective partnerships to kick start learning for hard-to-reach, non-traditional learners. Through building partnerships with employers, he has established appropriate infrastructures and placed people with employers who traditionally provided little or no training for this type of learner.
One Complete Solution from Ipswich Hospital in the category of outstanding contribution to workforce development sponsored by ConstructionSkills
One Complete Solution has been working to up skill and integrate the cleaners and caterers of Ipswich Hospital whose first language is not English. The team worked together with OSC, the learning provider (WEA), the union learning rep and Suffolk Learning Link (SSL). Response from learners has been excellent with a higher percentage of uptake than initially targeted.
Roland Griffiths from Reaseheath College (Cheshire) in the category of outstanding contribution in a support role sponsored by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE)
Roland is an Evening Warden at Reaseheath College which is a specialist land-based provider. He is totally immersed and involved in his job, and seeks 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 for learners, care and safety of learners at night and 'Roly's mystery trips.'
Andrea Wilkinson from Wakefield College in the category of outstanding contribution to learning support sponsored by Nord Anglia Education Partnerships
Andrea 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 are disaffected and disengaged. Andrea has been described by colleagues as an exceptional learning mentor who works extremely hard to keep students on the programme by providing counselling, motivation and support.
Linda Ham from Alton College (Hampshire) in the category of outstanding leadership sponsored by the Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL)
Linda leads the Estates Team at Alton College and has transformed the way in which the caretakers and cleaning staff serve the organisation. The college also achieved 'outstanding' in all five areas that were inspected by OfSTED in May 2006 and the report made reference to the high quality of the campus and facilities.
Oliver Tindall from Castle College (part of Sheffield College) in the category of outstanding innovation sponsored by ECOTEC
Oliver has successfully changed the culture as Castle College by introducing a range of activities, resources and programs to embed enterprise as part of the core curriculum. His work has changed lives as more students have gone on to become entrepreneurs and set up new businesses.
Bill Leivers from Loughborough College in the category of outstanding contribution to the development of the further education system sponsored by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS)
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 has transformed tutorial processes both locally and nationally. The e-Progress File is an electronic tool for setting targets, monitoring progress and recording achievement and is one of only two systems to have government support.
Click here to View the photos from the ceremony.