Northern Regional College has been shortlisted in three categories in the 2016 TES FE Awards. These prestigious national awards recognise the most outstanding individuals and institutions that the further education sector has to offer. More than 100 providers, individuals and teams are in the running for 14 awards, which will be presented at a ceremony on Friday 22 April in London.
The College is shortlisted in the following categories:
- Employer Engagement: Having worked with Caterpillar – the world-renowned American corporation – for the last 15 years to provide training for its Northern Irish workforce, a recent project focused on a new opportunity for the company to manufacture/assemble Wheeled Material Handlers, servicing the European market. The manufacturing processes to produce the Handlers required a significantly higher level of expertise for the workforce, with Northern Regional College engaged to create a bespoke training programme to enhance the Caterpillar staff’s welding and machining skills.
- Support for Learners: The College has worked closely with its Student Council to introduce an on-site Sexual Health Clinic, which is also open to the local community. This initiative was developed due to rising numbers of sexually transmitted infections and teenage pregnancies detected in the Northern Health Trust area. The Clinic is run and staffed by the Trust, offering a free, confidential service for males and females aged 16 and over, focused on family planning and sexually transmitted infection testing. Two morning sessions run each week on two of the College’s busiest campuses – Newtownabbey and Ballymena.
- Contribution to the local community: A Big Lottery funded project, Living & Learning Together, led by Northern Regional College, has had a major impact on the local communities in Antrim and Magherafelt areas with over 28,000 people taking part in a range of courses ranging from activities for young people, isolated seniors, support for parents with special needs children, English classes for the migrant community and training for volunteers. The range of benefits to those who participated included decreasing levels of social isolation in families of children with Autism, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia.
TES FE editor Stephen Exley said:
“The sheer range of entries for the 2016 TES FE Awards is a real showcase for the phenomenal work and groundbreaking initiatives that are going on within training providers and colleges throughout the UK. With area reviews spreading across the whole country, not to mention the impending apprenticeship levy and the skills devolution agenda on the way, it is the perfect time to highlight and celebrate the most exceptional individuals, teams and institutions that the sector has to offer.”
