Press Releases
For further information on any of these press releases, please contact:Lisa Brown
Marketing Team Leader
South Lanarkshire College
01355 807305
lisa.brown@slc.ac.uk
Press Releases 2011
October 2011
South Lanarkshire Students Graduate
South Lanarkshire College was a buzz of excitement on Monday 3 October as HNC/D students donned graduation gowns and took part in the annual graduation ceremony. Proud family members, friends and College staff looked on as the students were presented with their certificates by College Chairperson Jane McCartney at the ceremony held in the Hamilton Town House. Students of all ages gained awards in subjects as diverse as Accounting, Construction Management, Hairdressing and Early Education and Childcare. A full list of grauands is detailed below:HND Accounting - Veronica Archibald, Sherlene Nicole Gordon, Bonnie Louise Greenan, Chris Muir
HNC Accounting - Stuart Alexander MacLeod, Anna Maria Makuch, Graeme Marshall, Jennifer McBride, Steven Monaghan, Lynsey Plenderleith, Dianne Watson, Angela Weir, Jasmin Wilson
HND Administration & Information Technology - Bridget Rose Crummie, Laura Hinshelwood, Ray Johnstone, Katherine Hannah King, Maureen Neilly, Mandy Jane Towers
HNC Administration & Information Technology - Darren Hannah, Suzanne Higgins, Yasmin Christina Lewis, Katrina Mairi McAinsh, Gillian Amanda McNiven, Natalie Morgan, Julie Pollock, Caroline Robinson, Norma Mary Sanderson, Linda Thomson, Ashley Wilmot
HND Business Management - Linzi Hamilton, Kirsty Hoban, Libby Hoban, Parmjeet Kaur, Nicola McPhillips
HNC Business - Julie Anne Little, Lynn Mills, Derek David Rankin
HNC Interactive Media - Lewis William Barclay, Scott Gordon Hunter, Iain Robb
HND Hospitality Management - Deepinder Singh Attwal, Bibin Babu, Jojy Kanjiramalayil Chacko, Michael Docherty, Ramneek Gill, Sarbjeet Kaur, Anubhav Kumar, Neeraj Kumar, Parbhat Kumar, Ravi Kumar, Mark McFarlane, Julie Morgan, Deepak Paul, Gagan Deep Singh Sidhu, Bhagat Singh, Gurmeet Singh, Gurvinder Singh, Hardeep Singh, Harwinder Singh, Raj Singh, Surjeet Singh, Shanmugam Thangaraj
HNC Professional Cookery - Andrew Finnegan, Lorraine Henry, Kathleen Wallace
HNC Hospitality - Joan Cunningham, David Neil Hay, Stephanie McLaren
HND Beauty Therapy - Jaclyn Ann Anderson, Kirsty Ann Ashcroft, Anne-Marie Boyle, Louise Burt, Nadia Daneshvar, Joanne Deans, Angela Flowerday, Kirsty Ford, Joanne Hood, Donna Leverage, Emma MacDonald, Rachel McAllister, Caroline McGuigan, Tracy Jane McMillan, Keri Stella Pollock, Amanda Smillie, Julie Wileman
HND Make-Up Artistry - Natalie Cavanagh, Amanda Jane Ford, Marina Jaconelli, Laura Kim McCulloch, Natalie Murray
HNC Fashion Make-up - Julie Hannigan, Sarah Louise McGinley
HNC Hairdressing - Dawn Michelle Aitchison, Elaine Barr, Claire Joan Blease, Tracey Elizabeth Cornwell, Loren Dempsey, Jill Finningham, Kayleigh Galashan, Jodie Hughan, Victoria McDonald, Leeann McKay, Arlene McQuilken, Karen Patrick, Chloe Rice, Tracy Strachan, Maxine Williamson
HNC Early Education & Childcare - Katie Ballantyne, Louise Margaret Borland, Carolyn Brew, Michelle Burns, Nicola Butwell, Colette Cannon, Rachel Coats, Patrick Gerard Conway, Jacqueline Duncan, Sue Farquharson, Claire Ruth Forbes, Catrina Gibson, Nicole Ashley Gilroy, Vetinia Gorman, Hazel Elizabeth Kelly, Christine Leslie, Megan Liddell, Emma Manley, Freda Marshall, Aileen Martin, Judith McGrath, Nicole McInally, Victoria McKie, Michelle Munn, Carol Murray, Kelly Diane Murray, Theresa Newall, Mairi Nisbet, Maria O’Neill, Yasemin Ozen, Pauline Rattray, Yvette Maclean Reid, Collette Seenan, Susan Shaw, Kulwinder Kaur Shergill, Kirsty Marie Sproat, Emma Sprott, Marilyn Louise Steele, Nicolle Stewart, Eleanor Tracy Stitt, Claire Walsh, Richard James Young
HNC Health Care - Suzanne Campbell, Lynsey Chester, Tracey Jamieson, Mark Kane, Carina Lynne Laneres, Lauren Martin, Debbie McCarrison, Karen McCrimmon, Louise Simpson, Tyne Victoria Sneddon
HNC Social Care - James Brown, Erin Buckley, Margaret Dalziel, Lisa Findlay, Lauren Greenfield, Nicola Hamdani, Cherlyn Kane, Emma Kelly, Caroline Kirkwood, Jacqueline McLachlan, Amy McNaughton, Clare Morrison, Deborah Anne Muldoon, Jennifer Susan Rae, Mandy Robinson, Nicola Steven, Elaine Clare Veitch, Grant Tiernan Watson
HND Construction Management - Shaun Michael Gallacher, James McFarlane, Sean Pearson, Brian Woods
HNC Construction Management - Dale Brown, Craig Davidson, Christopher Gracie
Ryan Harold, Sean McBride, Iain McCartney, Kevin Meikle
HNC Painting & Decorating Supervision - Keiran Michael Byrne, David Grant, Lee Milne, Barry Tyczynski
Prize Winners
Accounting - Michael Rice
Business - Lorraine Wilson
Media & Information Technology - Christopher Craig
Hospitality - Coca-Cola Enterprises East Kilbride Active Healthy Living Award - Harwinder Singh
Beauty - Donna Leverage
Hairdressing - Elaine Barr
Make-up Artistry - Amanda Ford
Early Education & Childcare - Kulwinder Shergill
Health Care - Saad Arshad
Social Care - Caroline Kirkwood
Construction Management - David Cox Gilmour
Painting & Decorating Supervision - Barry Tyczynski
Norma J Hutton Award - Ashley Wilmot
Best International Student - Neeraj Kumar
SQA Centre Award - Bonnie Louise Greenan
Ede & Ravenscroft Award - Claire Walsh, Amy Butler, Katherine King
September 2011
Apprentice Takes Skillbuild Gold
South Lanarkshire College apprentice plasterer Kenny McAllister triumphed at the National Skillbuild Final in Leeds earlier this month taking the gold medal in his category.Kenny from Nerston in East Kilbride won through to the final of the national competition after he won the gold medal at the regional heats held at South Lanarkshire College in April. He faced stiff competition from his fellow competitors following detailed instructions and strict deadlines to produce an intricate piece of plastering work to win the gold medal and a cheque for £500.
Skillbuild is the biggest skills competition in the UK. It aims to celebrate and showcase the best in UK talent and encourage people to pursue a career in the relevant industry.
Kenny was absolutely delighted with his win and is currently in London with his family at the invitation of Skillbuild to help launch Worldskills 2013 when Kenny will get the opportunity travel to Germany to compete on the International stage.
James Martin, Acting Associate Principal, said “we are thrilled at Kenny’s achievement and wish him good luck at the Worldskills Competition in Germany. He has been an inspirational student who has worked at the highest level in his craft throughout his time at the College”.
For further information on South Lanarkshire College East Kilbride and Construction Courses please contact South Lanarkshire College East Kilbride’s admissions team on 01355 270750.
June 2011
South Lanarkshire College is First Full ‘Investor in Diversity’ in Scotland
South Lanarkshire College has become the first organisation in Scotland to be recognised as a full ‘Investor in Diversity’. The College achieved the Level 2 Investors in Diversity award in recognition of its’ positive and proactive work in all areas of equality, diversity and inclusion.The official Scottish launch of Investors in Diversity took place at the College on 29th June with speakers from the National Centre for Diversity, the Scottish Government, Positive Action in Housing and South Lanarkshire College presenting to 100 delegates from Scottish business, government, voluntary and public sector bodies.
The Investors in Diversity standard was launched in the House of Commons in 2006 by the Chief Executive of IBM, and is supported by a wide range of organisations and businesses including Coca Cola, The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, ITV, G4S and Remploy.
South Lanarkshire College Principal, Stewart McKillop said, ‘I am delighted that South Lanarkshire College is the first organisation in Scotland to be accredited as a full Investor in Diversity. This reflects the high quality of education and training that we deliver, and is a testament to the way that our staff and students work together to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to succeed’.
In January 2011, for the second time in 4 years, South Lanarkshire College was evaluated by HMIE as the best college in Scotland. The College is one of only 1.25% of Investors in People accredited organisations to hold IIP Gold status.
CIS Excellence in Hospitality Education Award
South Lanarkshire College Chef Lecturer, David Auchie, has been awarded the CIS Excellence in Hospitality Education Award. David received the Award on 26 May at a ceremony attended by 500 people in the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow. There were a total of 12 award categories including Restaurant of the Year, Chef of the Year, Group Hotel of the Year, Restaurant Newcomer of the Year and Healthier Scotland Award.
The Award recognises the outstanding contribution made by David in supporting learning and hospitality skills development.
For further information on South Lanarkshire College East Kilbride and the Professional Cookery and Hospitality Courses please contact South Lanarkshire College East Kilbride’s admissions team on 01355 270750.
Start Your Journey to University
Have you been out of education for some years but would like to go to University? If so, South Lanarkshire College East Kilbride has the course for you. Elizabeth Wignall, from St Leonards, began her journey to University with the SWAP Access to Humanities course at South Lanarkshire College. Elizabeth left school and worked for 12 years before leaving to become a full time mum. When her two children went to secondary school she decided to apply to college. Returning to education as a mature student was daunting, but Elizabeth felt her experience of the College was one of support and encouragement from both staff and her fellow students.
With this support and encouragement Elizabeth went on to study at Glasgow University. When she graduated she was so inspired by her experience that she decided she wanted to help others to get into Higher Education and so her next step was a Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching Adults. As part of her course Elizabeth returned to South Lanarkshire College as a student tutor and was able to share her experiences with students who were in the same position as she had been five years earlier.
Elizabeth said of her experiences “none of these would have been possible without the initial support and encouragement that I found at South Lanarkshire College. The SWAP Access to Humanities course helped me to fulfil my dreams far beyond my own expectations”.
There are currently still a few places left on the SWAP Access to Humanities starting August 2011. To find out more please contact the Admissions team on 01355 270750, they are waiting to take your call.
Johnstone’s Young Painter of the Year
South Lanarkshire College 2nd year painting and decorating student Debbie Swan from Coatbridge painted her way to 1st place at regional heat of the Johnstone’s Young Painter of the Year Competition at City Buildings Skills Academy in Glasgow. Debbie, an apprentice with South Lanarkshire Council, faced stiff competition from her fellow competitors carrying out a range of decorative and design work to win a cheque for £100 and a kit bag with a selection of tools.
The competition was launched by Johnstones in 2005 to celebrate young talent and encourage young people to pursue a career in decorating.
Debbie is now looking forward to competing in the National Finals in Coventry in November and the opportunity to be crowned “Johnstone’s Young Painter of the Year”.
For further information on South Lanarkshire College East Kilbride and Construction Courses please contact South Lanarkshire College East Kilbride’s admissions team on 01355 270750.
May 2011
Chef Lecturer Helps Young Chef to Dazzle
South Lanarkshire College Hospitality Lecturer Paul Devenny helped young chef Heather Flemming to dazzle at the Rotary International Great Britain and Ireland Young Chef grand final.Chef Devenny mentored Heather as she beat off the competition through the district and regional stages of the competition to reach the final held in Stratford-Upon Avon.
The 13 year old remained focussed against seven other finalists to create a stunning 3 course dinner in just 2 hours and whilst Heather didn’t win the competition her dessert dazzled the judges. Her dark chocolate and raspberry truffle torte was selected by all the judges as the best in the competition and more than worthy of being served in a Michelin Starred restaurant.
Heather was thrilled to have taken part in the final and said the experience was “a once in a lifetime opportunity”.
Chef Devenny said he was very impressed with her performance and that Heather was definitely “one to watch for the future”.
For further information on South Lanarkshire College East Kilbride and the Professional Cookery and Hospitality Courses please contact South Lanarkshire College East Kilbride’s admissions team on 01355 270750.
College Beauty Showcase helps Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research
South Lanarkshire College HND Beauty Therapy students recently hosted a “Hollywood Movies” themed beauty showcase to raise funds for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. On the night the public were treated to free mini treatments and a showcase of the students’ make-up skills.
The students worked extremely hard to arrange the successful event and raised a fantastic total of £1566.22. This brings the total funds raised by the staff and students for the charity to £2799.15.
The College Care Faculty was delighted to present the cheque to Leukaemia and Lymphoma research.
April 2011
South Lanarkshire College Celebrates Skillbuild Success
South Lanarkshire College celebrated success at the recent Skillbuild Regional Competition held in the College on Tuesday 19 April taking 4 first prizes, 1 second prize and 2 third prizes. The College claimed all 3 prizes In the Roof Slating & Tiling Category. Prizewinners from the College were:Joinery
1st Gavin Dunbar
Painting & Decorating (Advanced)
1st Katie Nixon
Plastering
1st Kenny McAllister
Roof Slating & Tiling
1st Alexander Berry
2nd Shaun Dempsey
3rd Robert Mackie
Bricklaying (New Entrant)
3rd Robbie Drummond
Principal Stewart McKillop said “I am proud that South Lanarkshire College was able to host the Skillbuild Regional Competition once again showcasing the very best of Scottish construction talent and I am absolutely delighted at the success of our students in the competition.”
March 2011
Get Set for Spring with a Pampering Session at SLC
Staff and students of South Lanarkshire College East Kilbride would like to welcome all regular and new clients to the college's state-of-the-art hair salons; spa and beauty rooms where they are offering a wide variety of hair treatments and therapies to assist student assessment. Beauty and hair appointments are offered throughout the week to members of the public at extremely affordable prices.
The Salon is also looking for models for student assessment. Prices for styles and treatments range from £4 for a shampoo/set for short hair to £20 for a full head colour. With the choice of conditioning treatments with a blow dry for £7 and a cut and blow dry ranging from £5 to £9 there is lots on offer. All members of the public are welcome, so please let family and friends know about the service.
The Beauty department at the College is providing treatments to the public which include electrolysis, premium brand Susan Molyneux facials, manicures, massage, exfoliation, waxing and spray tanning
The Beauty Therapy department is delighted to provide all the treatments at competitive prices to assist the students in their assessment and to provide the optimum in relaxation. Prices range from £2.50 for an eyebrow tweeze to a special offer of £12 for aromatherapy and £10 for a manual tan.
For a full list of hair and beauty treatments provided and to make an appointment please contact 01355 807465.
Hospitality Lecturer Spots Talent
South Lanarkshire College Hospitality Lecturer Paul Devenny revealed the cooking talent of the future when he recently mentored school pupil Heather Fleming. Heather, age 13 from Kilmacolm took part and won the district final of the Rotary Young Chef competition which was held at South Lanarkshire College earlier in the year. Chef Devenny was introduced to Heather at the event and immediately recognised her cookery potential; he offered guidance and mentored her through the regional final which consisted of 7 other district finalists aged 13-17 years old from across Scotland and the North of England. With Paul’s guidance Heather’s aptitude and ability shone through once again and she was crowned winner of the Regional final held in Dundee, a real accolade for someone of her age. Heather will now go on to compete in the national finals being held later in the year in Stratford Upon Avon.
For further information on South Lanarkshire College East Kilbride and the Professional Cookery and Hospitality Courses please contact South Lanarkshire College East Kilbride’s admissions team on 01355 270750.
Hospitality Students Strike Silver
A group of Hospitality students from South Lanarkshire College have won a 'Silver Medal' and a 'Certificate of Merit' at the recent 'Future Talent Restaurant Competition' on Tuesday the 1st March 2011.The competition was part of the Scottish Culinary Championships which are held biannually at the SECC. The team consisting of both kitchen and restaurant students had to prepare, cook and serve a 3 course meal for 60 covers. The kitchen team had only 4 hours in which to have ready their menu with no advanced preparations for the service.
The restaurant team led by lecturer Sharon Riach had only a 2 hour slot in which to set the restaurant for the arrival of the first customers. The award winning menu was based on British ingredients .
David Auchie, Chef Lecturer and mentor to the kitchen brigade had nothing but praise for the combined efforts of both teams. David went on to say, ' This experience will be valued for the rest of their lives'
January 2011
It’s official . . . the best College in Scotland once again!!
For the second time in 4 years, South Lanarkshire College, East Kilbride has been evaluated as the best college in Scotland. The full evaluation is published in a report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) on South Lanarkshire College dated 28 January 2011.
HMIE report “full confidence” in all aspects of the college. They identify six points of “excellent practice” and “sector-leading and innovative practice”. These include the college’s focus on getting students into employment and its ground-breaking work in delivering new courses on low-energy, low-carbon approaches. HMIE are so confident in South Lanarkshire College that they have not set out a single main point for action for the college.
In the report, HMIE publish four unconditional statements of confidence.
“HMIE is confident that learners are progressing well and achieving relevant, high-quality outcomes. HMIE is confident that the college has in place high quality learning and teaching processes. HMIE is confident that learners are actively engaged in enhancing their own learning and the work and life of the college. HMIE is confident that the college is led well and is enhancing the quality of its services for learners and other stakeholders.”
In their summary of key strengths, HMIE take the unusual step of describing educational leadership and management in the college as “outstanding”. They praise leadership in teaching faculties and the wide range of services that support learners as “clear” and “very effective”. HMIE praise the college’s focus on supporting student success, stating that attainment rates are: “consistently very high and well above sector-average values”. Staff are praised for delivering effective learning and teaching and preparing learners well for employment. The report states that teaching staff and guidance tutors provide very effective on-course guidance and support and that an important feature of many full-time programmes is a period of very useful work experience for learners.
The positive ethos of the college is commended and the contribution of course teams highlighted in the role of actively listening to the views of learners, employers, statutory bodies and other stakeholders.
Overall the HMIE report represents the most positive evaluation they have published of any college in Scotland in their current 4-year cycle of reviews.
Katie McCall, Student President, said
“Taking part in the HMIE review process was a very positive experience. Students were given the opportunity to express their views about the learning and teaching process, assessment procedures, classroom and workshop resources and the general learning environment. I was present at the feedback meeting and it was good to hear the HMIE Review Team reporting so many good points and confirming what we, the students, already know ... our College is a great place to study!”
Stewart McKillop, College Principal said:
“I am very pleased with the HMIE report. No other college in Scotland has received such a positive HMIE report. It is a tremendous accolade for the staff in the College and a reflection of both the commitment and high quality of staff and also student work”.
Jane McCartney, the Chair of the College Board of Management, is delighted that HMIE has endorsed the Board’s view that South Lanarkshire College is delivering its vision. “It is clear that we are the leading provider of college education and training in Scotland”.
