Staff achievements celebrated at annual B&FC awards

“Without you, we couldn’t do it," were the words of Blackpool and The Fylde College Principal and chief executive Bev Robinson as she congratulated staff for all their commitment, energy and expertise in ensuring students who choose B&FC achieve the best possible outcome.

The Ofsted Grade 1 Outstanding College recently held its second annual Excellence in Business Innovation (EBI) Awards, with curriculum and service staff commended for their work.

The EBI awards allow staff an opportunity to nominate colleagues who have had an outstanding impact on the business, contributing innovatively to the continuous improvement and success of B&FC and its customers.

The nominees were considered by a panel of judges, with the winners announced by the Principal during a ceremony at the College’s Bispham Campus.

She said: “Our staff are pivotal in ensuring that, employers, students and other key customers who chose B&FC, have very positive outcomes.

“At the time of its last review, our higher education provision received more commendations than any other institution in the UK from the Quality Assurance Agency for higher education. It is due to the passion and drive of our staff to make sure every student at B&FC has the best possible learning experience, leading to a positive outcome, that our work is judged so highly.

“All our staff work really hard to ensure that is the case but the EBI Awards are about celebrating those people who have been responsible for a specific project or innovation which has had a tangible positive impact on the experience of the College community.

“I would like to congratulate all the nominees and winners on their success.”

Computing lecturer Colette Mazzola received the award for Excellence in Research and Scholarly Activity for her academic work which has contributed to the canon of knowledge in her curriculum area and increased B&FC student development and achievement. Her research on e-learning has been chosen to be presented at the HEA National STEM Conference 2017 in Manchester later this year.

The Rising Star award saw the new manager of the College’s popular Level 6 restaurant, Jordan Kehoe, commended for his entrepreneurial work bringing events and business into B&FC and ensuring students actively engage with an industry-focused learning environment. The full list of winners was: Rising Star - Damian McGuinness and Jordan Kehoe Outstanding Contribution to the College or Environment – Brendan Shaw and Keith Malpus Exceptional Enhancement of the Student Experience – Kath Chamberlain Excellence in Research and Scholarly Activity – Colette Mazzola Outstanding Support to the College - University Centre Cleaning Team Outstanding Contribution to Equality and Diversity - Tara Cooper Performance Excellence - Public Services Teaching Team Outstanding Customer-centric Behaviours - Adrian Bamber Outstanding Learning and Teaching Initiative - Autism Training Team Outstanding use of IT and/or Technology - James Ford