This week Eastleigh College celebrated another successful year with an exciting Annual Awards ceremony. College students, staff, governors and local businesses gathered together at Eastleigh’s premier venue, the Concorde Club, to celebrate the exceptional achievements of students and staff over the past twelve months.

A variety of awards were presented throughout the evening, including the prestigious Award for Exceptional Progression, which highlights a student who has gone on to a fantastic opportunity which utilises the skills that they have learnt during their time with the College. This year’s prize was awarded to Jed Osmond, an ex-Public Services student who started Eastleigh College on the Gateway to Work course, and now studies Criminology with Psychology at University with the aim of getting a career within a specialist unit in the police force. 

Speaking after the winning announcement Jed commented “It feels great to win, it’s nice to be rewarded for all the hard work you put in. I was up against stiff competition, so it’s amazing to know I’ve won.”

Guests attending the event were treated to emotional and heart-warming videos of each of the nominees at work, alongside the nominating member of staff explaining why they have been shortlisted to receive an award. Two nominees attended for each category, with the winner being announced on the night. Also in attendance were a range of local employer sponsors who were keen to show their support to the students.

Louise Kovacs, Children and Young People Manager at Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service who sponsored the Governors Prize for Outstanding Achievement, commented “Tonight has been an inspiration to listen to the stories of all the nominees. It’s great for us to get involved and present one of the awards and celebrate the success of young people.”

Another former student who won big during the ceremony was Adam Glover, winner of the STEM Excellence Award. Adam now works as a Junior Estimator for AC Mechanical Services, and knows his employer will be proud of him: “I’m so pleased to have won this award, and I know my employer will be too. Winning this award will help me go far in my job and proves that I will put in every effort to achieve my goals. Hearing my name called as the winner was the best feeling.”

Other winners included Nicola Trotter who received the Apprentice of the Year award, Mark Stray who won Student of the Year, and Lewis Trickett who received the Tony Brooks Award.

Dr Richard Stone from Oasis Dental Care presented the David Baird prize, an award given to a Dental Nursing student who has made exceptional progress. Commenting on the awards, Richard said, “The awards ceremony was very moving and it’s humbling to see the obstacles people overcome to achieve their qualifications. It’s a nice to have a celebration like this at the end of the course to reward students for their hard work.”

As well as a variety of student prizes Sue Lyons, Hospitality and Catering lecturer at Eastleigh College, received Teacher of the Year.

Jan Edrich, Chief Executive and Principal at Eastleigh College added “This event is one of my personal highlights of the academic year; it is a fantastic opportunity to really show how proud we are of our students and to highlight the fantastic achievements that each and every one of them has accomplished during their time with the College. We wish them every success for the future and know that they will go far.”

Congratulations to all our award winners!