Some of our fantastic students were victorious at the Hartlepool Borough Council Festival of Learning awards which took place last month. Adult learners, Christine Turnball, Michael Rollinson and students from the College’s Engineering Project Presentation Day all scooped up awards at the ceremony designed to celebrate the successes of adult students throughout the town.
The Adult Learner of the Year was awarded to Christine Turnball, who despite tragically losing her husband to illness part way through her course, bravely returned to her studies and achieved both her Maths and English GCSEs. Donna Ross, Christine’s Tutor and Lecturer at Hartlepool College, said: “Christine is a true inspiration to us all. Her story is unbelievable and the determination and courage she has shown during her time with the College is unbelievable. Christine is now putting her new grades to good use as she heads off to Cambodia to teach English to the local children.”
In the Learning for Work category, HNC Engineering Student Michael Rollinson took the top prize, using his studies to become more efficient at work and further develop in his role as an engineer at PepsiCo. Michael has since used his education to teach others in the workplace and create a process training rig within the team. Michael said: “Returning to education has been the best decision I’ve made. I’ve developed my skills, increased my knowledge and made a real difference to my work environment. I’d like to thank the engineering staff for all their help and support throughout my qualification.”
The final award of the evening was for the Innovative Project of the Year went to our School of Engineering’s Project Presentation Day, taking the top prize. Michael Casey, Head of School of Engineering, said: “Each year we showcase the high standard of skills shown by our students at our Project Presentation Day. Here, over 120 learners exhibit the culmination of a yearlong individual project to industry experts. Winners this year and in previous years have gone on to be implemented by local, regional and national companies to improve their organisation. We’re delighted to receive this award and would urge anyone interested in engineering to get in touch.” One of our current Engineering students and a winner from the presentation day, Josh Noble, took to the stage to collect the award and cap off a successful night for us.
