Bradford College

Celebrating Life Long Learning

Bradford College students scooped awards at a prestigious Celebration Event and Awards Evening held at Leeds Civic Hall.  West Yorkshire University and College staff, employers, local authorities, sector skills councils and other key organisations also attended the memorable event to share in the celebrations.

The evening was an opportunity to celebrate the successes so far of the West Yorkshire Lifelong Learning Network (WYLLN) which is now entering its third and final year. The project, a partnership of higher and further education institutions from across West Yorkshire, was established in 2007 as part of a national government-funded initiative to improve progression opportunities and guidance for vocational learners. Already, in just two years, the WYLLN has facilitated 44 clearer progression routes and has assisted almost 5000 work-based or vocational learners.

Professor Vivien Jones, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leeds and Chair of the WYLLN Management Board welcomed everyone to the event and took the opportunity to wish the best of luck to two of the WYLLN board members who have left the network over the last 12 months, Professor Sue Frost from the University of Huddersfield and Edmund Wigan who recently retired as Principal of Leeds College of Art and Design. Lilian welcomed everyone to the event, in particular the award winners and their friends, families and supporters.

Steve Challenger, Executive Director of WYLLN then said a few words about the success of the network and thanked all of the partners for their contribution over the past two years.

Peter Roberts, Principal and Chief Executive of the newly formed Leeds City College attended the event and gave an after dinner speech. Peter will be joining Leeds City College in July and is looking forward to shaping the landscape of post-16 education and training in the Leeds City region.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the West Yorkshire Adult Work-Based Learning Awards. 14 much-deserved winners, including employers, tutors and learners were recognised for their commitment to higher level skills.

Bradford College award winners, Cilla Champaneria and Stephen Smith were delighted to accept awards during the evening’s presentation ceremony. Cilla won the Learner Award in Business Services including: Logistics, Retail and Finance.  Stephen Smith was awarded with a Highly Commended Learner Status in Advanced Engineering, including Manufacturing and Related Industrial Chemistry.

Cilla Champaneria obtained a BA (Hons) in Business Studies last year at Bradford College, subsequent to 6 years part-time study, commencing with an NVQ, then a Diploma in Business Administration. Her studying has been combined with the demands of her role as an administrator at the University of Bradford.

While studying Cilla has also met the demands of a busy family life and during her studies, has continued to be an active member of her local community, frequently raising funds for a range of charities.

Thanks to her studies, Cilla has been able to draw on her knowledge and experience in order to develop clear systems for all aspects of divisional administration supporting programme delivery. She has provided strong leadership and direction for the administrative team and has clearly identified a strategy to maximise the contribution of all members of her team.

Cilla’s ability to study, work and manage all her other commitments has earned her the respect of her colleagues and all who know her.

Cilla was presented her award by Cath Holmes of Business Link Yorkshire who sponsored this award category.

Stephen is currently studying a BEng Honours Degree in Metallurgy and Materials Science at Bradford College. Since 1999 when he first started working at his current employer Carrington Wire Ltd, Stephen has progressed from an ONC to HNC to HND and now to Degree Level.

Stephen has found his studies to be invaluable in his employment at Carrington Wire, work-based projects help to make his studying more bespoke to his industry. His continued learning has given him an excellent understanding of the industry he works in and has given him the skills and confidence to progress in his career as a metallurgist.

Stephen has been able to pass knowledge onto the Laboratory Technicians that he manages, has been involved in training employees from other departments and has acted as an industrial mentor to colleagues who have attended similar courses. After completing the BEng, Stephen hopes to progress onto a Masters Degree.

All of the winner stories are inspirational to anyone wishing to embark on a higher education qualification while continuing to work and are evidence to employers that higher level skills can make a real difference to the performance of their business.

Stephen was presented with his award by Tim Thornton who represented the sponsor of this award, the University of Huddersfield.

At the end of the evening Professor Tim Thornton, Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Huddersfield and Accountable Body Representative on the WYLLN Management Board gave some closing remarks. Tim congratulated all of the winners again on their hard work and thanked the sponsors for their support.