SWC students and staff honoured in first ever Excellence Awards

South West College students and staff have been honoured in first ever Excellence Awards.

Eight South West College 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 recently 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 evening heard how many award recipients have improved their career prospects 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.

Olesia, who 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.

Staff Recognition Awards for Lifetime Contributions were also presented on the night to two SWC staff for their service to the College and the local community including Tom Corr, a Science Lecturer in Enniskillen and Marie McGlone, Office Administrator at the Omagh campus.

South West College Principal Celine McCartan commented, “I would like to congratulate all award recipients from South West College who were recognised for their excellence in their studies and their contribution to college life.

“The awards ceremony has been a fantastic showcase of the collective good that Further Education brings to communities right across Northern Ireland.

“It was also fantastic to hear about the achievements of our staff and I would like to thank Tom and Marie for their tireless service to South West College,” she said.