City College Plymouth hosted its annual Student of the Year event to celebrate some of the amazing achievements of its students over the past year.
The Student of the Year event publically recognises and celebrates students who are making a positive contribution to their course, the College or the local community, and celebrates this with their course tutors, family and friends.
Seventeen students were presented with awards by City College’s Curriculum Directors. These students were recognised for making a significant contribution, often against the odds, from across the College’s diverse curriculum.
From these winning students, a further six special awards sponsored by local businesses and organisations were presented on the night. These were the awards for: Opportunity (University of St Mark & St John); Enterprise (Plymouth University); Employability (Plymouth Citybus); Community (The Herald); Equality and Diversity (Plymouth Community Healthcare); and Student Voice (Radio Plymouth).
The event was held in PL1, the College’s plush training restaurant, with a special menu prepared and served by hospitality and catering students. There was also live music courtesy of City College music students.
The awards evening was attended by each of the 16 winners and their families, their tutors, College staff and Governors, and representatives from the six sponsoring organisations.
Phil Davies, Principal & Chief Executive of City College, said: “The College’s Student of the Year event is one of the highlights of our calendar. It is our opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge the hard work and commitment of a handful of our students. I only wish that we could recognise all of the 17,000 people who enrol with us each year.
“Our Students of the Year were nominated by College staff because they believe these particular students - some of whom have had to overcome significant barriers - have all shown that you can achieve fantastic results and make a contribution to your peers, the College and the wider community.
“Events like this help to remind us of the importance of giving everyone the opportunity to access education. At City College, we work hard to provide our students with a broad range of skills in addition to the specialist discipline they have chosen to follow.
“It is an honour to celebrate the outstanding qualities and achievements of our students with an evening dedicated to them, sharing their successes with their family and friends, and with the support of some of our key partner organisations - whom I thank for sponsoring our special awards.”
The Student of the Year 2015 winners were:
- Dean Moreton studying Access to Higher Education (Social Science)
- Kristina Kuraliate and Michaela Merrifield studying a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Business
- Chloe Cigleris studying an Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care
- Hannah Wilson studying a Diploma in Professional Cookery
- Charlie Heptinstall studying a Diploma in Performing Arts
- Iris Borland studyinga BTEC Extended Diploma in IT
- Natasha Clarke studying a Level 3 Diploma in Beauty Therapy
- Henriette Konate studying on the ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) Programme
- Bronya Vosper studying Numeracy and Literacy
- Kate Blay Mensah studying for a Foundation Degree in Business Management
- Zoe Coad studying a BTEC Extended Diploma in Sport
- Philip Orme studying a NVQ Level 2 Diploma in Painting and Decorating (Apprenticeship)
- Aaron Trevethan studying a Level 3 Diploma in Vehicle Maintenance and Repair
- Ashley Rodd studying Marine Engineering (Advanced Apprenticeship)
- Paul Crocker studying an Extended Certificate in Employability Skills
- Ben Liversidge studying on the Work Start Programme, which helps people to find employment by improving their technical and employability skills.
The recipients of the special awards were:
- Opportunity Award - sponsored by the University of St Mark & St John - Ashley Rodd
- Enterprise Award - sponsored by Plymouth University - Michaela Merrifield
- Employability Award - sponsored by Plymouth Citybus - Philip Orme
- Community Award - sponsored by The Herald - Zoe Coad
- Equality and Diversity Award - sponsored by Plymouth Community Healthcare - Kate Blay Mensah
- Student Voice Award - sponsored by Radio Plymouth - Henriette Konate.
Be part of it! Think you’ve got what it takes to be a Student of the Year? Come along to City College’s drop-in event on Wednesday 1 July, 4.00pm - 6.00pm, at Kings Road to see what course or Apprenticeship is right for you. Visit www.cityplym.ac.uk/events for more information or call 01752 305300.
