Open College Network Northern Ireland (OCN NI), an independent educational charity and awarding body that advances education by developing nationally recognised qualifications for adults and young people throughout NI, has staged its first ever Learner Awards ceremony.

The OCN NI Learner Awards was also a signature event at the Belfast Festival of Learning which ran from 4 – 10 March.

The Recognising Learning Endeavour Awards 2019 covered a wide range of categories. Special consideration was given to candidates who have overcome significant social, economic or educational barriers that prevented them from realising their full potential.  The full list of winners is:

School Learner of the Year
Georgie Courtney, Lagan College

Health & Wellbeing Learner of the Year                 
Sam McGarrigle, Belfast Met

Further Education Learner of the Year                    
Daniel Wotherspoon, Larne Skills Development

Voluntary/Community Sector Learner of the Year 
Rhys Field, One Eighty Restaurant

Inspiring Tutor/Teacher of the Year                        
Graham Bowden, Tree NI

OCN NI Provider of the Year                                    
Women’s Tec

Hilary Sloan MBE Learning Endeavour Award        
Sam McGarrigle, Belfast Met        
 

Martin Flynn, CEO of Open College Network NI (OCN NI) said: “Today’s awards event provides a platform to publicly recognise and reward the hard work and dedication which we see every day at OCN NI. A key aspect of the awards ceremony was the idea that ‘no one should be left behind’, so we were delighted to see such a large number enter the various categories.”   

Martin Flynn added: “Work has already begun on plans for an even bigger event next year. Through our recognised centres we will continue to support the Draft Programme for Government by tackling educational underachievement and helping to create a skilled workforce to meet the needs of the NI economy.”

Lynn Carvill, CEO of Women's Tec, winners of the OCN NI Provider of the Year award said: “We are absolutely thrilled. As the largest provider of quality training for women in non-traditional skills in Northern Ireland, we are very proud of the work we do. As more organisations strive to create more diverse and inclusive workforces, we believe we play a very important role in ensuring that this commitment extends to industries and sectors which traditionally have had an under-representation of women.“

For the full list of Winners and Highly Commended please visit www.ocnni.org.uk 

Open College Network (NI)

The Open College Network Northern Ireland (OCN NI) is an Awarding Body that advances education by developing nationally recognised qualifications and recognising the achievements of adults and young people. We are an educational charity and an Awarding Body working with centres such as Further Education Colleges, Private Training Organisations, Voluntary & Community Organisations, Schools, SME’s and Public Sector bodies to provide learners with opportunities to progress into further learning and/or employment. We are a not for profit organisation and reinvest all of our resources back into the development of new qualifications and educational resources. As an Awarding Body OCN NI develops high quality qualifications from Entry Level to Level 5 which help to meet the needs of learners and employers.  To date the educational charity has registered over 480,000 learners and has worked with over 400 organisations in the public, private and not for profit sectors.

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