Local winners triumph at UK training "Oscars"

13 December 2007

Eight local entrants scooped awards this evening at the UK ceremony for the National Training Awards 2007, held in London.

Considered the UK’s number one training accolade, the awards are presented to organisations and individuals who have demonstrated exceptional achievement through training excellence and skills development.  

Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey, paid tribute to the successful entrants, saying: “Once again Northern Ireland’s high standards in training have been recognised at the National Training Awards. We continue to produce a consistently high standard of entrant and this has been borne out by our continued success in this showcase competition.”

The eight winning entrants from Northern Ireland are:

  • Claire Bowes, Omagh
  • INVISTA Textiles (UK) Ltd, Maydown
  • Intercomm, Belfast
  • Southern Group Environmental Group, Armagh
  • The NØW Project, Belfast
  • Ballyclare High (Grammar) School, Ballyclare
  • Barnardos Parenting Matters, Carrickfergus
  • St Columb's College, Londonderry

Sir Reg added: “Each of our winners has shown exceptional strengths in the field of workplace training.  They are an example of how skills development is vital in contributing to, not only better business performance, but also to the future social and economic growth of Northern Ireland.  

“These Awards give the winners recognition on a UK wide basis and I would encourage everyone to consider entering these prestigious awards.  Information seminars are taking place to inform potential entrants of the benefits and the processes.”

Information Seminars for the National Training Awards 2008 will be taking place on the following dates:

Tuesday 22 January 2008 - City Hotel, Derry

Thursday 24 January 2008- Killyhevlin Hotel, Enniskillen

Friday 1 February 2008- Adelaide House, Belfast

If you wish to attend please contact 028 9025 7474.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

  1. The National Training Awards UK ceremony was held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel on the evening of 13 December 2007.
  2. Claire Bowes, Omagh: In 1998 Claire lost her sight in the Omagh bomb. Claire turned down the opportunity to attend a specialist school, returned to school and eventually went on to graduate at Queen’s University. Because of her disability she had to learn new ways of doing everything including using assistive technology. Upon leaving university, she attended a course at the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB), exploring music with children.  Here she met the Eye Clinic Liaison Officer (ECLO), a service which offers support and advice to people with sight-loss. Claire then began volunteering for the RNIB.  After training and a desire to help individuals with sight problems, Claire successfully trained to be a professional Eye Clinic Liaison Officer.
  3. INVISTA Textiles (UK) Ltd, Maydown: In 2004, when Koch Industries acquired Invista, they introduced Standardised Work Processes (SWP) to meet key operations objectives. This challenged the whole organisation to equip with the skills required to meet these objectives and to become profitable. All INVISTA employees underwent an intensive six month functional training programme and 13 staff completed a CIPD ‘train the trainer’ course. This focused training has enabled the company to operate at 100% capacity and the use of the SWPs has increased efficiency and profits.  This undoubtedly influenced INVISTA’s decision to select Maydown as the sole provider of LYCRA® in Europe.
  4. Intercomm, Belfast: WEAVE, The Women’s Enterprise and Vocational Education Programme is an Intercomm initiative, aimed at helping women to benchmark their skills, re-train and take advantage of current and emerging opportunities.  The project works in association with the Workers Education Association and is part financed through the EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation. The cross community initiative targeted North Belfast, an area of high unemployment, deprivation and low education attainment. As a result of the training, many women have developed skills that increase their employability and self employment prospects. To date 16 women have set up in self employment with a further 14 having re-entered the workforce.
  5. Southern Group Environmental Group, Armagh: In 2004 the Southern Group Environmental Health Committee (SGEHC) secured £1.5million funding for a project aimed at encouraging and supporting 270 SMEs, nine councils and the SGEHC to implement an Environmental Management System (EMS) aimed at reducing pollution by training and developing a team of officers to work with the local businesses and councils. The programme of training included an understanding of environmental standards and in all, 10 officers completed the training. The officers have brought 180 businesses, 26 services in nine councils and the SGEHC through to certification.  They have also been responsible for training almost 8,000 employees in these organisations on environmental issues.
  6. The NØW Project, Belfast: NØW’s Skills Programme was designed to tackle the barriers people with learning disabilities said they faced when trying to access paid employment. Those who participated had poor literacy and numeracy skills but thanks to the programme learned how to tackle the barriers, manage their own money, travel to and from work safely and how to behave appropriately at work. The project was very successful and 124 people have gained nationally accredited qualifications which have enhanced their career prospects, putting them well on the road to being economically active.
  7. Ballyclare High (Grammar) School, Ballyclare: Ballyclare High (Grammar) School used an innovative training programme to establish Information and Communications Technology as an integral part of  learning. The Educational Technology Strategy Group (ETSG) developed a six-point plan aimed at enhancing learning experiences. Teachers were encouraged to embrace the use of ICT, particularly within the school’s unique Learning Centre.  Departments were required to integrate ICT into teaching schemes, design and implement tasks that could be used for ICT assessment. As a result of the training, exceptional results have been achieved. Ballyclare High School has also become a Microsoft Academy and is now recognised as a leader in the Education Technology field.
  8. Barnardos Parenting Matters, Carrickfergus: Barnardos’ Parenting Matters project supports parents in wards which are considered to be at a disadvantage.  These wards have high numbers of lone parents, domestic violence, low educational attainment and high levels of paramilitary activity. The project set out to implement measures that would contribute to a decrease in the isolation of parents and improve the support available. The training, which took place in Sunnylands Primary School, Carrickfergus, covered a range of parenting issues. In all, 34 programmes were successfully run with 256 parents participating.  Post training evaluation from participating parents revealed that there were significant improvements in their child’s behaviour. A support network of parents in Carrickfergus now exists with seven volunteers helping to deliver the programmes. The project has encouraged other services into the school including the Pyramid Club for children with low self esteem, an after schools club and the Child Bereavement Service.
  9. St Columb's College, Londonderry: The college launched a programme to make teachers more confident with technology in the classroom, incorporating digital, audio and image literacy into lessons.  In addition, pupils would have improved ICT skills which, in the future, would benefit the economy and employers who would have access to a highly skilled workforce. The school’s ICT team designed ‘Skill. Support. Collaborate. Celebrate’, a learning programme which would be responsive to interest, need and supportive of innovation. The programme has helped staff overcome their fear of teaching through ICT and the impact on pupil performance is significant.  Above all, teachers have found the courage to take risks with traditional teaching styles by successfully integrating ICT.
  10. The competition is organised and promoted by UK Skills and managed in Northern Ireland by the Department for Employment and Learning.
  11. Media queries to the Department for Employment and Learning Press Office on 028 9025 7872.
  12. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.