Ruth Named Lecturer of The Year at Institute of Hospitality Awards 2019

South Eastern Regional College (SERC) culinary lecturer Ruth Doherty was recently awarded Lecturer of the Year at the Institute of Hospitality Awards 2019.

Ruth said, “I am incredibly honoured and humbled to have received this award. I was shocked when I heard my name announced but the encouragement and support I receive is fantastic – I am surrounded by an excellent team here at SERC, so it truly was a team effort and I would like to thank everyone who was involved in me being named lecturer of the year.”

Ruth has 30 years’ experience in the hospitality industry. She trained at Stakis Coylumbridge Aviemore Hotel and was Hotel Duty Manager at Drumkeen Hotel and Restaurant Manager at Angelo’s Ristorantino, Belfast before she began teaching at SERC.

Level 2 Diploma in Professional Bakery student Megan Smith said, “We are so happy that Ruth won this award, she really deserves it. She is an excellent lecturer. Ruth is patient, kind and knowledgeable about the industry we are training to enter. She won’t settle for anything less than perfection. We have learnt so much from her and she has really pushed us to be the best we can be.”

Fellow student Nathan Corry added, “Ruth has been giving me guidance for the WorldSkills UK culinary heat rounds in which I will be competing. I am excited about the competition and Ruth has really helped me prepare for the challenge.”

Paul Mercer, the Deputy Head of School for Hospitality, Management, Tourism and Languages said, “I nominated Ruth because she has proven herself time and time again to be an outstanding lecturer with a plethora of industry knowledge who constantly strives to create unique learning experiences for her students.

He continued, “Ruth impressed the panel of judges by providing examples of when she has taken initiative to improve the student’s experience through securing opportunities such as placement for students in Valencia, Spain, assisting and mentoring student companies and networking with industry chefs such as Jim Mulholland, Executive chef of Novellis who assisted her in mentoring her student, Rachel Carson to Student Culinarian of the year 2018.”

“Ruth’s commitment to the college, her hard work and determination to constantly improve her work and the student’s learning experience made her the ideal candidate for this award and I am thrilled that she was the recipient. It was well deserved.”