Two NPTC Group of Colleges lecturers won awards at the Inspire! Tutor Awards, which took place this week at The Senedd in Cardiff.
The ceremony celebrated the achievements of exceptional tutors and mentors from across Wales. To win an award, the nominee had to have shown an outstanding passion and commitment to encourage, support and teach adult learners in their community or the workplace.
The first of our award winners is Martin White who is the College’s Refectories Manager. Martin was nominated by Powys County Council in the Community Education category for his work on the Catering Pilot Scheme in Powys, a joint venture between NPTC Group of Colleges and Powys County Council which trains parents in practical cookery to allow them to take up part-time job opportunities and help combat the shortage of catering staff in schools and colleges across Powys.
One of the demographics they focused on was parents dropping their children off to work each day. Martin felt it was important to show the parents that there are jobs out there for them during the school day and they don’t have to find an evening job and struggle with childcare.
Martin has been a chef for 20 years and hasn’t come from an academic or teaching background. This project has required Martin to work outside his comfort zone and try teaching for the very first time.
As well as allowing the parents to learn new skills, Martin’s sessions helped them meet other people in similar situations and allowed them to interact with other people when they may normally have just gone straight home after dropping their children off.
Everyone that completes this course is awarded a Level 1 qualification in Food Hygiene and number of learners requested progression to a Level 2 course. One of the learners has gone on to apply for a position in the catering department at Powys County Council. Another has applied to do a full-time catering course and others have set up a pizza club within their schools.
To find out more about Martin and his award, you can watch the video below.
Our second award winner is Howard Wyn Jones who is the Higher Education Lead for HND Public Services at Llandarcy Academy of Sport. Wyn was nominated by Victoria Burroughs and Barry Roberts who are Assistant Principal: Higher Education and Head of School: Sport and Public Services respectively.
Wyn was nominated for his excellent work delivering Higher Education (HE) Public Services and showing effective leadership and collaboration skills, fostering a positive working environment, and bringing the team together to develop the first BA (Hons) in Public Services in a Further Education College in Wales.
Wyn has a background in the Ambulance Service, and this allows him to effectively mentor learners with diverse educational backgrounds, bringing experience from his 18 years working in the industry.
Wyn continues to add value to the students’ learning experience, making him an invaluable asset to the team, and creating so many outstanding learning opportunities. Wyn has widened access to learners from across Neath Port Talbot and Swansea and has increased HE participation from underrepresented groups, and crucially raised their educational aspirations and skills.
The National Student Survey is a high-profile annual survey that half a million students complete across the UK. HND Public Services at Llandarcy Academy of Sport achieved 100 per cent Overall Satisfaction for the sixth year running. This is a huge achievement and is 23.1 per cent above the national average. This highlights the excellent recognition for Wyn’s on-going commitment and contributions to HE and Lifelong Learning.
One of Wyn’s aims when he joined the college was to bring HE into the Public Services arena and he has now done this by providing a BA honours degree in Public Services. Wyn says that if you ask him what inspires him to come in everyday to college, then it’s the students: “It’s their enthusiasm, their respect and their need and want to extend their knowledge. Hopefully we are inspiring them to achieve their dreams”.
To find out more about Wyn and his award you can watch the video below.
