Eight South West College (SWC) students and two staff have been honoured in the first ever Further Education NI Excellence Awards which were which were hosted in Armagh.
The inaugural awards ceremony was held at the Armagh City Hotel on Tuesday night with award categories reflecting the wide spectrum of learning levels and pathways available at the Further Education Colleges, from introductory and supported learning to apprenticeships, higher education and lifelong learning.
The ceremony was also opened by the Economy Minister Conor Murphy who said: “I was delighted to attend these awards to celebrate the achievements of excellence by both students and staff across the further education sector.
“My economic vision has skills at its core and further education colleges have a significant role to play in delivering a regionally balanced economy with good jobs, higher productivity and which is reducing its carbon output.
“I commend our colleges, our students, our staff, and all who support you, for all that you do, and will continue to do, to support the north’s economy.
“I want to see and hear more of this excellence and for further education colleges to continue to collaborate, to lead, and to take their rightful place in the story of our improving economic outlook.”
The evening heard how so many award recipients have improved their job and life skills thanks to the incredible effort they have made during their studies at their local college. This included several people from Ukraine who have made their lives in Northern Ireland and have been supported through Further Education training to boost their existing skills to give them the best start here.
One of them was Oleisa Moliukova, a Year 14 student at Omagh Academy who was presented with the FE Excellence Award for School Partnership Programme. She is studying the Pearson BTEC Level Three Subsidiary Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment. Olesia arrived in Northern Ireland from Kyiv was praised for her remarkable commitment to her education and future career, as since joining the College she’s not only mastered the English language but also excelled academically.
Another SWC student recognised on the night was Kim Hunter from Cookstown, who received the FE Excellence Award for Apprenticeship Training. Kim is talented and emerging leader in mechatronics who is employed with Greiner Packaging. She was recognised for her innovative contributions in her field and dedication to promoting diversity in engineering.