SERC hosted its inaugural Staff Excellence Awards at the college’s Bangor Campus on Thursday 30 April.
Staff, family and friends, guests and members of the Governing Body, were welcomed with a reception before the presentation of awards which recognised outstanding achievements of Northern Ireland’s highest-performing college across all campuses, and celebrated the dedication, innovation, and positive impact staff make every day to the lives of students, and the wider SERC community.
Twenty-nine (29) Campus and Overall Staff Excellence Awards – from almost 200 nominations across the college community - were presented by Tommy Martin, Principal & Chief Executive, and by Oisin Gourley from Edwards Solicitors, headline sponsor and sponsor of the Long Service Recognition Awards presented to 25 staff for more than 30 years’ service. Awards were also presented for Excellence in Supporting the Student Experience, sponsored by East Down Education Partnership; Community Champion of the Year, sponsored by UK Healthcare; Professional Excellence sponsored by Lisburn Education Partnership; and for Excellence in Teaching; Colleague, and Team of the Year.
Tommy Martin, Principal & Chief Executive at SERC said, “Our Staff Excellence Awards, just like our student awards, have been truly inspirational. I heartily congratulate everyone nominated. “SERC has had the highest success rate amongst Northern Ireland’s colleges, for a number of years. This is not just a statistic. It means every member of SERC staff works to support our students to achieve. It means our students respond to the knowledge, expertise and encouragement SERC provides. It means SERC has a positive impact on many lives, delivering not only qualifications, but also confidence and aspiration.”
He concluded, “Together, our figures of retention, success, and achievement; every enhanced grade and every award in a skills competition; every recognition for a student, or for a student team, all cast a wider ripple into families and communities. The impact spreads beyond the classroom. In this way, we are helping to build a prosperous future for Northern Ireland."
Above Main Photo: Tommy Martin presents Essential Skills/GCSE Team Across All Campuses representatives with their Overall Team of the Year Award.
SERC would like to thank the judging panel which was made up of members of the SERC Governing Body; Edwards Solicitors, our headline sponsor, and our category sponsors East Down Education Partnership, Lisburn Education Partnership, and UK Healthcare; and all staff teams involved in making the Awards a most successful and enjoyable evening.
Watch out for a further article on our Long Service Award recipients.
Award Recipients
Thomas Turley - Excellence in Supporting the Student Experience, Campus Winner (Downpatrick and Newcastle).
Kim Johnston - Excellence in Supporting the Student Experience, Campus Winner (Lisburn and Ballynahinch).
Robin Hamill - Excellence in Supporting the Student Experience, Campus Winner (Newtownards).
Paul Mercer - Overall Winner Excellence in Supporting the Student Experience and Campus Winner (Bangor & Holywood).
Hannah McGrath - Excellence in Teaching Campus Winner (Newtownards).
Emily Morgan - Excellence in Teaching Campus Winner (Downpatrick & Newcastle).
Lynda Graham - Joint Overall Winner Excellence in Teaching and Campus Winner (Lisburn & Ballynahinch).
Rachel Innes - Joint Overall Winner Excellence in Teaching and Campus Winner (Bangor & Holywood).
Joe Mahon - Community Champion of the Year Campus Winner (Downpatrick & Newcastle).
Culinary Arts Team - Overall Winner Community Champion of the Year and Campus Winner (Bangor & Holywood).
Pat Crane - Colleague of the Year, Campus Winner (Downpatrick and Newcastle).
Colin Martin - Colleague of the Year, Campus Winner (Newtownards).
Stephen McGreevy Snr - Joint Overall Winner Colleague of the Year and Campus Winner (Lisburn & Ballynahinch).
Ryan Major - Joint Overall Winner Colleague of the Year and Campus Winner (Bangor & Holywood).
Sandra Court - Award for Professional Excellence Campus Winner (Newtownards).
Michael Doherty - Award for Professional Excellence Campus Winner (Downpatrick & Newcastle).
Kim Godsman - Award for Professional Excellence Campus Winner (Lisburn & Ballynahinch).
Diane Weatherup - Overall Winner Award for Professional Excellence and Campus Winner (Bangor & Holywood).
Green Skills Team - Team of the Year Campus Winner (Bangor and Holywood).
Payroll Team - Team of the Year Campus Winner (Newtownards).
Essential Skills/GCSE Team Across All Campuses - Overall Winner Team of the Year and Campus Winner (Lisburn & Ballynahinch).
