Winners announced

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STAR Award 2009 winners announced

The sixth annual LSIS STAR Awards – the Oscars of the learning and skills sector – were held in London on 26 November, with a college vice principal, a union learning rep and a photojournalism lecturer among those honoured.

The winners were honoured at a spectacular, cosmos-themed national ceremony at Old Billingsgate in London, which was attended by more than 500 learning and skills sector staff, learners and special guests.

Guests heard from Kevin Brennan, minister for further education who said: “I am delighted to extend my congratulations to this year’s winners and also to all of those who have been nominated for an award. As the unsung heroes of the learning and skills sector, you have made a huge difference, and have inspired countless young and adult learners and have helped them to achieve their full potential.

"The LSIS STAR Awards recognise the important contribution of the learning and skills sector and those who work in it. You are helping to build a strong UK economy and a cohesive society. The short-listed nominees and providers represented are evidence of a vibrant and diverse sector. You are all winners.

"I was also delighted that many learners were given the opportunity to showcase their considerable talent and I particularly congratulate the students of Reynolds Performing Arts – winners of the Sparkle Auditions.

"I warmly congratulate all of you on your achievements and wish you every success in the years ahead.”

Dr David Collins, LSIS chief executive of the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) added: "The STAR Awards are a celebration of the hard working individuals who use their skills to improve provision across the sector. I am especially pleased that this year nominations came from all parts of our wide and diverse sector, including colleges, work-based and adult and community learning providers as well as offender institutions. I am also pleased that the judges found the standard and quality of the nominations higher than ever."

The 2009 STAR Award winners are:

Teaching, training and learning practitioner – learner nomination - sponsored by Institute for Learning
	Neil Maclean Teacher JHP Training, Birmingham What his nominator said: "When I first came to JHP I was messing around constantly and getting nowhere. Neil saw this and took it upon himself to put a lot of time into getting me on track. He’s not only a teacher but a friend; all through my school years I have never had a teacher like him. He is very respectful and puts a lot of effort into teaching, and you can see he really enjoys it. "He has a lot of faith in me and has made me realise I’m capable of pretty much anything. He’s very clever and made me do a presentation on slavery – which he knew I would enjoy. Thanks to Neil I’m a changed person, more mature, knowledgeable and more humble than I was; I can’t thank him enough."
Highly commended in this category are: Debi Smithson, ICT tutor – adult and community learning at Adult and Community Learning Brixham College, and Ollie Goldstone, lip reading tutor at Richmond Adult Community College.
Teaching, training and learning practitioner – peer nomination - sponsored by Institute for Learning
	Manjit Johal Team leader Sandwell College What his nominator said: "Manjit is an excellent practitioner, his teaching is innnovative and exciting. When you walk into one of Manjit's lessons you can sense the 'buzz' and the excitement that works well to facilitate learning. His understanding of his learners’ individual needs is exemplified by the arts and crafts English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) course he started, which helps learners who have endured trauma express themselves whilst improving their language skills. "Manjit organises many extra-curricular activities such as football and weekend art trips, which take a great deal of time to organise. He is an excellent practitioner, consistently assessed as a grade 1 teacher in internal observations - an Ofsted inspector once described him as 'gold dust'."
Highly commended in this category is: Richard Martin, learning organiser and facilitator at City of Bristol College.
Skills for Life - sponsored by Nord Anglia Education
	Maggie Harnew Skills for Life lecturer Abingdon and Witney College What her nominator said: "Maggie saw the need to develop a diverse range of teaching resources and methods in order to successfully engage with disparate groups of learners from a variety of backgrounds. As a result, in 2001, she voluntarily set up the now widely acclaimed Adult Basic Skills Resource Centre website (www.skillsworkshop.org). This hugely valuable resource is available to, and freely shared with, all Skills for Life tutors and students both nationally and internationally. "Her inspirational teaching methods and motivational support enabled one young man to join the police force after passing his numeracy exam, and two dyslexic students to complete their further education studies; one of whom is a nominee for the College Student of the Year award, thanks to Maggie’s encouragement. Maggie has been at the forefront of using new technology to overcome barriers to learning and successfully motivates learners."
Highly commended in this category is: Colin Chalkley, training officer at City College Plymouth.
Lifetime achievement - sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	Paul Delmar Lecturer, photojournalism Norton College, part of The Sheffield College What his nominator said: "Paul leads the only news photography course in Britain accedited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists, he has taught the course for 30 years. Paul is highly respected and has an amazing professional network. Students are highly motivated and enjoy a good success rate because of Paul’s enthusiasm, skills and industry connections. "The college was voted the country’s top training centre three times by the UK Picture Editors Guild and Paul has also received many industry awards himself. In a recent British Press Photographers Association book, around 100 of the 133 images were from Norton trained photographers. Almost every newspaper in Britain has employed his former students and, of the 1,000-plus students who have trained with Paul, half have either won or been runners-up in industry awards."
Highly commended in this category is: Jean McAllister, principal of Shipley College.
Support role - sponsored by Unison
	Gerrard Shaw Senior IT Technician Redbridge Institute of Adult Education What his nominator said: "Gerrard is under 25 yet shows great empathy with colleagues’ needs. He has produced several easy to read guides and a CD for distribution outlining changes to the IT system and “what they mean for you”. He has run training sessions for managers to cascade through to teams, and in 18 months has transformed the IT service and infrastructure. "Gerrard aims for his team’s support to be so embedded it’s barely noticed. He constantly seeks ways to improve delivery. He has found alternatives for restrictive software which was hampering teaching and created a tutor network for sharing/storing resources. Gerrard has implemented electronic diagnostic assessments, sourced materials for ESOL learners and regularly visits community settings to support outreach staff."
Highly commended in this category are: Karen Norwood, manager at Bromley College for Further and Higher Education; Paul Winter, premises manager at The Northern College for Residential Adult Education; and Nigel Bolton, fitness instructor at Bargate Fitness Suite – The Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education.
Learning support - sponsored by Further Education Tutorial Network
	Billy Courtney Specialist tutor Newcastle College What his nominator said: "Billy is an inspiration for all the disabled learners that the service supports. He is a wheelchair user and is honest and open about the impact this has had on his own mental health after he became physically disabled. However, he uses his experiences to empower, assist and motivate the learners he works with. He certainly ‘goes the extra mile’ and has literally transformed the lives of learners he engages with. "Billy’s enthusiasm and passion for his work illuminates his daily contact with some very vulnerable and disempowered learners. His learner-centred approach means he encourages students to become independent, confident and build on their existing resilience."
Highly commended in this category are: Barry Smith, FESCo (Further Education Sports Coordinator) at North East Worcestershire College, and Linda Julian, learning resources, IAG and student services manager at Southgate College.
Leadership - sponsored by Network for Black Professionals
	Kanwal Pattar Vice principal – Skills for Life and community cohesion The Working Men’s College What her nominator said: "Kanwal involves everyone when creating a common vision and communicates it with passion, belief and confidence; empowering staff to create innovative ways to realise vision. Her commitment to college, respect, fairness, compassion and sensitivity for staff and students encourages us all to achieve our best. "Kanwal is achievement orientated and encourages motivation through different styles; directive, supportive and participative to suit the needs of individuals and teams. She is courageous in applying innovative ideas and approaches that inspire students, staff and external partners. A believer in a ‘bottom up approach’ to leadership, she encourages and engages students and staff in the decision making and the implementation processes. Through her constructive feedback she always enthuses us to develop potential."
Highly commended in this category is: Paul Phillips, principal and chief executive at Weston College.
Innovation - sponsored by Becta
	Sarah Snowdon Manager of OLASS contract The Isle of Wight College What her nominator said: "With a wealth of experience and expertise in e-Learning, Sarah was the driving force behind an ambitious cross prison e-Learning strategy piloted at HMP Camp Hill. She introduced a learndirect centre, e-guide training, extensive roll out of smartboards, electronic diagnostic testing, an internal and external moodle system for sharing best practice, wireless networking and a digital media centre which supported an extensive new curriculum. "To be able to offer this within a prison environment is raising the standards of prison education, and creating new educational opportunities which will give these learners high level transferable skills to assist them in gaining employment upon release."
Highly commended in this category are: Michael Steel, partnership liaison manager at Enham, and Teum Teklehaimanot, learning resources facilitator at Lambeth College.
Engaging employers - sponsored by 157 Group
	Terence Anslow Contracts manager Telford College of Arts and Technology What his nominator said: "Since 2002, Terry has been involved in the delivery of spectator safety training/assessments at over 80 football clubs in England and Wales. He is involved with clubs ranging from Manchester United FC with over 1,300 safety stewards, to my club (Kidderminster Harriers FC) with 43 stewards. This involves constant engagement with all clubs to identify the specifics to their training delivery and assessment needs. In this regard, Terry goes the extra mile. "There are over 16,000 stewards engaged in managing football events’ safety and they come from all walks of life and ethnic groups. Many come from socially deprived backgrounds and include those with learning or physical impairments. Terry has been instrumental in helping hundreds who left school with no qualifications, such as myself, achieve Levels 2, 3 and 4 NVQs."
Highly commended in this category is: The commercial services team at West Cheshire College.
Workforce development - sponsored by Lifelong Learning UK
	Kevin Maddeys Union learning rep/NVQ assessor First Group Bus Depot, Great Yarmouth What his nominator said: "Kevin was part of a union/management team who set up a workplace learning centre in 2005; the literacy courses that he established have run continuously since this date. The centre is always available to staff and Kevin arranges regular one-to-ones with staff to ascertain their learning/workforce developmental needs. "Kevin, and the well trained and qualified workforce, have played a key role in assisting the company to achieve the business plan, and have enabled the organisation to win three new major contracts. He supports staff with learning difficulties, has recruited, supported and encouraged new women learning reps, has organised sign language training to assist staff to communicate with deaf customers, and set up online learning so staff can study from home."
Highly commended in this category is: Julia Pollock, assistant principal – teaching and learning at John Leggott College.
Response to learners' needs - sponsored by NIACE
	Regional Centre for Learners with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (team) City College Norwich What the team’s nominator said: "The team works exclusively with learners with Asperger Syndrome (AS), which is characterised by lack of social understanding, empathy and inability to cope with change. They created the Phoenix Purple programme for AS learners who cannot access mainstream provision due to their level of need. Phoenix Purple is a transitional programme of personalised timetables with sessions on specific AS issues; such as anger management, building social skills and communication. "In 2008, Ofsted graded the team’s provision for AS learners as outstanding."
Highly commended in this category is: Kichelle Degale, ECM/enrichment programme manager at Sir George Monoux College.