Stafford College hosts annual Celebration Awards

Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group’s (NSCG) Stafford College held its annual Celebration Awards Ceremony to recognise its students, apprentices and employer partners

Held on Thursday 22 June, the dazzling awards celebrations took place at Stafford’s grand County Showground and saw almost 40 awards presented for outstanding contributions and successes; including sixth form awards, vocational awards, professional studies, skills & technology, progression awards, apprenticeship achievements and employer recognition awards.

Around 200 invited guests attended the glittering ceremony; including more than 50 celebrated award-winners and their families, partner employers, governors and special guest and Chief Executive of Staffordshire County Council, John Henderson CB.

The key calendar event is the chance to recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of some exceptional learners from full-time, apprenticeship and higher education programmes, whilst also acknowledging the fantastic work of some of our key employer partners.

The evening began with an incredible piano recital of Chopin’s Polonaise op 53 number 4 performed by Level 3 Music Performance student Oliver Matthews. This was then followed by an introduction to the evening’s proceedings by Principal and Chief Executive, Craig Hodgson who welcomed guests to the event.

Throughout the evening, attendees heard about the finalists’ remarkable achievements over the last 12 months and found out why they were nominated for an award.

Within the Academic and Creative category, Isabelle Trigg, who studied A Levels in English Literature and Language, Geography and History was awarded the Humanities Award for her enthusiasm and engagement with her studies.

Former Newport Girls’ High School student, Tallulah Mae Smith, was awarded the Art Award for showing resilience and commitment to her learning and BTEC Applied Science student, Alfie Hogg, picked up the Vocational Science Award for going above and beyond on his academic journey.  Alfie will be progressing to the University of Aberystwyth to study Zoology in September and has independently sought out work experience opportunities to further his knowledge ahead of this.

Within the Vocational Studies Awards category, Ashli Giles – who has completed a T Level in Education – was awarded the Early Years Award while Alexandria Brown was awarded the Hairdressing and Beauty Award for positively embracing all opportunities during her time at College.

Within the Skills and Technology category, two female engineers on the Level 3 Advanced Manufacturing in Engineering programme, Daisy Jane and Lizzie Pritchard, were recognised for being outstanding advocates for women in the STEM industries and for showing maturity and dedication to their studies.

Two students were also selected for the prestigious Principal’s Award. The Principal’s Award (academic), sponsored by Keele University, was awarded to Beckie Jones. Beckie, who will be heading to Lancaster University in September to study History, has enjoyed a very successful year as the Vice Principal of the Students’ Union and has proven herself to be a very diligent and proactive student.

The Principal’s Award (vocational) winner was Oliver Matthews who opened the evening’s celebrations with his incredible piano playing. Incredibly, self-taught Oliver has only been playing the piano for four years and this September leaves NSCG to study the Bachelor of Music programme at Birmingham Conservatoire.

Employer partner Marubeni-Komatsu Limited was named Employer of the Year for their continuous support of the apprenticeship programme while Staffordshire Restoration and Conservation Ltd were announced as the Best New Employer in the Bowmer & Kirkland sponsored award.

Commenting on the evening, Craig Hodgson, Principal and Chief Executive at NSCG Stafford College, said:

“I would like to extend thanks to headline sponsor Staffordshire University and to the staff at Stafford County Showground for allowing us to host our awards in such spectacular surroundings. Thanks are also extended to our other generous sponsors, award presenters and invited guests whose support has enabled the event to take place.

“The Celebration Awards are a College highlight and we were delighted to recognise and celebrate the achievements of our students, apprentices and employers at our annual ceremony.

“The standard of this year’s award winners is outstanding and sharing their stories and celebrating the talents, success and determination of our College community fills me with pride and is probably the best part of my job.

“I would also like to acknowledge NSCG’s talented and dedicated staff who provide our learners with the best possible education and training to ensure they leave us fully equipped and ready to embark on their next exciting steps.”