SERC Celebrates Pearson Teaching Awards

SERC is celebrating recognition in the national Pearson Teaching Awards for staff and teams.

Lecturer Pauline Blair was awarded the Bronze Award in the FE Lecturer of the Year category; the Animal Management, Careers and the Fire & Security teams were Highly Commended, with the SERC Carers Team awarded a Certificate of Excellence - all in the FE Team of the Year category. 

Pauline Blair, an educator with more than 20 years of experience is currently Curriculum Manager for the Entry Level and Level 1 Foundation Skills Academy at SERC. The Bronze Award recognises her commitment to making the curriculum engaging and relevant for those students who face significant barriers to learning, including special educational needs and diverse social backgrounds. Over the past seven years, the Foundation Skills Academy has transformed education for students in this programme by incorporating the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme into the curriculum. Promoting inclusion within the programme, Pauline transformed the traditional residential experience, which typically takes place in forests and mountains, into an urban expedition which allowed students with mobility challenges to fully participate.

The Animal Management team consists of highly qualified professionals with extensive experience in ecology, animal welfare, farming, and equine management. The Highly Commended Award recognises their dedication to offering an engaging educational experience and providing valuable opportunities for students, including hosting a herd of goats on campus to support environmentally friendly land management; enhancing the habitat of the common lizard, the only terrestrial reptile native to the country, at Scrabo; and participating in international placements at a game reserve in South Africa and a horse sanctuary in Spain. Their approach has resulted in a 19% increase in enrolments over the past three years, along with a consistent improvement in success rates during the same period.

Also Highly Commended, the work of the Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance Service (CEIAG) team empowers people of all ages - from 14 to retirement age -  to take the next step in their lives. In addition to supporting all students through its core initiatives, their work provides significant support to young people who are not in education, employment, or training, non-English speakers, and individuals who have been long-term economically inactive. For those aspiring to enter highly competitive industries, the team provide mock interviews, personal statement assistance, and CV support. Ninety per cent (90%) of the students who received this support in 2023/24, were successfully placed in their chosen university courses, including Nursing, Midwifery, Allied Health Professions, and Social Work. 

The third Highly Commended Award went to the Fire and Security Lecturing team. In partnership with the Northern Ireland Fire and Security Industry, the team established the first regional employers' federation for the sector. This initiative led to the creation of industry-first apprenticeship qualifications, improvements aimed at addressing workforce gaps, sponsorships for new, state-of-the-art training facilities, and significant growth within the industry. The efforts of the team have established an effective framework for incorporating employer priorities into curriculum design and for continuously assessing progress in meeting the needs of the industry in collaboration with employers and students. Currently, SERC has 96 Level 3 Fire and Security apprentices with a retention rate of 100%.   The trade is now included in WorldSkills and a SERC apprentice was awarded a Gold Medal in the inaugural Fire Competition. 

Recognised with a Certificate of Excellence, the Student Carers team, working in collaboration with student carers and a diverse team inside and outside the College, is dedicated to supporting the mental health, educational, and social needs of student carers, helping them better manage their work, education, and caregiving responsibilities and reach their full potential. As a result of these efforts, retention rates for student caregivers increased by 2% from the 2022/23 academic year to the 2023/24 academic year. Additionally, a partnership with the local NHS and Action for Children has led to an increase of 30 caregivers registering for SERC Carers support. The project has also achieved a remarkable 98% completion rate for student carers in their courses.