Author: Emma Wilde

Stoke on Trent College has recognised the achievements of a host of learners at their Celebrating Success 2025 awards.

The prestigious event held on Thursday 19 June brought together award-winning learners, their families plus College staff and Governors, civic dignitaries including the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, Karen Dobson OBE Deputy Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire, sponsors and stakeholders for a truly memorable evening.

Our sponsors included Keele University, University of Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID, Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, Learning Curve, ICON Projects, Carson Powell, Duchess China, KMF Group, Sneyd Construction, Krol Corlett, JPR Group and RE Events.

The event commenced with a drink’s reception and entertainment from Much Ado About Jazz.

Level 2 and 3 Catering and Hospitality students prepared and served a Gala Dinner to 120 guests, and were commended for the excellent quality of food and service provided.

The event was co-hosted by Level 3 Health & Social Care learner, Wendi Rose Brennan, and Assistant Principal Student Experience, Dave Hopley, who said:

“Celebrating Success remains the standout event in the College calendar. I am endlessly proud to witness such an array of inspiring stories from our young people, apprentices, and adult learners. It’s been a joy to see them fulfil their potential.”

The awards were opened by Stoke-on-Trent’s current poet laureate, Nick Degg, reciting his poem ‘I Came From a Town’.

It was a double celebration for Level 3 Gaming learner, Dasha Sokolynkova, who won the Student of the Year award for the Digital and Creative Skills Hub, plus being crowned the College’s overall Student of the Year.

Dasha has also recently been shortlisted for the Learning and Development category for this year’s Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce Awards 2025, which take place next month.

Dasha Sokolynkova said:

“I’m the happiest person ever!

“I felt quite shocked (at winning the awards) and didn’t think I’d ever get anything like this. My teachers have given me the desire to be better, and believed in me. I’m really happy my mum was also able to see me win too.”

Other winners included T-Level Construction learner, Aaron Mollart, who won the Student of the Year accolade for Construction and Green Technologies skills hub. Aaron is currently exceling in his first year at the College whilst undertaking a placement with Seddon.

Level 3 Media Production learner, Lara Costa, bagged the prestigious Principal’s Award.

Ahead of International Women in Engineering Day (23 June), the College was proud to see two female learners’ pickup prestigious awards within STEM. One of those learners being Louise Whitehouse who took home the Student of the Year accolade for Engineering & STEM. Louise is aiming to secure an apprenticeship with a global leading manufacturer, after completing her Level 2 in Engineering.

The Contribution to College award was a joint celebration, with Level 3 Health & Social Care learners, Umaiza Noveed and Aniqah Razwan, sharing the award. Umaiza and Aniqah were both instrumental in setting up and managing the recent Multicultural Day, as well as being peer mentors, offering valuable support to other learners throughout the academic year. This award showcased how the College recognises not only growth and development through knowledge and skills, but also the behaviours needed to succeed, demonstrating its’ commitment to preparing young people who are skills ready.

Hassan Rizvi, Principal & CEO at Stoke on Trent College said:

“It has been a privilege to experience my very first Celebrating Success here at Stoke on Trent College.

“We take great pride in witnessing the remarkable growth of our learners throughout the year. Their dedication to mastering their chosen subjects, along with their enthusiasm for engaging in the wider College community, truly sets them apart. We firmly believe that participation in enrichment and extra-curricular activities not only enriches their experience but also gives them a distinctive edge with employers and universities alike.

 “This awards evening is truly unforgettable. We’re deeply grateful to our special guests, parents and carers, sponsors, Governors, and stakeholders. Their ongoing support has made this year’s Celebrating Success another night to remember.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Picture caption – All the winners with Principal & CEO Hassan Rizvi from Stoke on Trent College’s Celebrating Success awards.

Further images are available here – https://we.tl/t-gjxZ6BOVYS

• Stoke on Trent College serves up to 9000 students a year including young people, adults and apprentices. Working with a wide range of employers in key growth areas of the economy such as Digital, Construction, Engineering, STEM and Health and Social Care and more.
• The College also work with young adults who may have a special educational or additional need.
• A wide range of flexible and distance learning is provided by the College to individuals and businesses.

For all media enquiries, please contact marketing@stokecoll.ac.uk  

A teaching team from Gower College Swansea has been recognised with a Silver Award for Further Education Team of the Year in this year’s Pearson National Teaching Awards.

Chosen from thousands of nominees, the College’s Esports team will now be in with the chance of winning the highly desired Gold Award, which will be announced at a prestigious awards ceremony in London and on BBC One’s The One Show later this year.

Since the inception of Esports delivery at the College in 2020, the team has tirelessly advocated for the qualification’s potential and showcased the diverse career pathways available to students. Their efforts have not only changed perceptions of Esports education but their GCS Owls brand has also elevated the College’s profile on a global scale, further championing development of new qualifications to extend the learning pathway to foundation degree level.

The team is responsible for delivering the Level 2 and Level 3 BTEC qualifications in Esports. However, their impact extends far beyond the classroom – their passion and commitment has led to significant developments, including a close collaboration with the awarding body to enhance and expand provision, becoming one of the first Colleges to launch the Pearson Extended Diploma in Esports.

They have also forged strong industry connections, collaborating with organisations such as Williams, Formula 1 and Dallas Fuel to provide students with valuable real-world experiences and employment opportunities.

Meanwhile, GCS Owls has achieved international recognition, winning the British Esports Championship, US Cardinal Open tournament and the BETT Esports Championship—highly respected accolades that highlight excellence in competitive gaming, coaching, and Esports education.

The Esports team is one of 93 deserving teachers, lecturers, leaders, support staff and institutions recognised as a Silver winner in this year’s awards for the lasting impact they have on shaping the lives of young people.

And the celebrations don’t end there for Gower College Swansea, as Creative Media lecturer Jon Parker has also been honoured with a Bronze award in the Transformational Use of Digital Technology category.

Jon has redefined what it means to innovate, using technology as a gateway to inclusion, creativity, and meaningful learning. What sets Jon apart is his ability to energise and empower staff and students and his unwavering belief that digital tools should improve lives. In one year alone, he delivered 74 training sessions as a Digital Peer Mentor and his Curiosity Project has given students real-world impact through the use of drones, 3D printing, and VR. His international dementia care VR initiative, praised as ‘revolutionary’, proves that technology can be both powerful and compassionate.

The announcements follow tributes from celebrities, students and schools across the UK as they say thank you to all those who work in education to mark National Thank a Teacher Day.

Celebrating the whole education community, National Thank a Teacher Day and the Pearson National Teaching Awards are run by the Teaching Awards Trust, an independent charity established over 25 years ago to celebrate the transformative impact of education, shining a spotlight on the pivotal roles teachers, support staff, colleges, schools and early years educators play in inspiring young people, every single day.

“Our Esports team have transformed perceptions around the subject, delivering an outstanding curriculum hand in hand with securing global recognition with their GCS Owls brand,” says Principal Kelly Fountain. “Their innovative teaching methods, strong industry partnerships and their commitment to student success has provided learners with unparalleled career opportunities in the industry.

“Jon’s success is about more than technical brilliance – it’s about generosity, vision and the belief that everyone deserves access to digital learning tools. He doesn’t just spark innovation, he sustains it.

“Gower College Swansea is delighted to mark Thank A Teacher Day. We are incredibly proud of our 2025 Pearson award winners, and indeed all of our wonderful teaching and support staff, who help to transform lives every day.”

Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle said: “Once again our talented workforce has been recognised for their hard work and dedication, with the Silver winners representing the teaching workforce across a wide breadth of education from early years to further education. Congratulations all and I wish you good luck for the Gold awards later this year.”

Sir Michael Morpurgo, author, former Children’s Laureate, and President of the Teaching Awards Trust, says: “The dedication and impact of those involved in educating young people is truly remarkable. Their influence extends well beyond the classroom – offering encouragement, inspiration, and unwavering support that can shape lives for years to come. That’s why National Thank a Teacher Day is an important opportunity to pause and celebrate all that they do. I’m also delighted to be able to congratulate this year’s Silver Award winners. Your passion and commitment to shaping the next generation is extraordinary. Thank you for the difference you make every single day.”

Sharon Hague, CEO of Pearson UK, says: “Every day, educators across the UK go above and beyond to inspire, support, and shape the future generation. Today, we proudly recognise those making an extraordinary impact. Our Silver Award winners represent the very best of the profession, and we’re thrilled to celebrate their dedication and achievements. Congratulations to all of this year’s Silver winners!”

Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, says: “On Thank a Teacher Day, I want to celebrate the remarkable professionals who are the backbone of our education system. Brilliant teachers make the single biggest difference to a child’s education. I’ve experienced first-hand how a great teacher can make all the difference. Teachers don’t just deliver lessons – they transform lives, inspire curiosity, and build the confidence our children need to succeed. For this incredible commitment to our nation’s future, we owe our teachers our deepest gratitude.”

Three adult learners from Stoke on Trent College have competed in the regional finals of Hairdressing for WorldSkills UK.

Gemma Gidman, Liga Liepina and Ashleigh Heath are all studying Level 2 Hairdressing at the college, and have competed against 16 other participants from other colleges at the regional competition, which was hosted at Stoke on Trent College’s recently refurbished industry-ready Hair & Beauty studios at the Cauldon campus, on Tuesday 17 June.

Ashleigh heard about WorldSkills from one of her friends who had previously taken part.

“I had a friend who competed in WorldSkills last year, and after our tutor told us about it; I said I wanted to take part. It’s a little nerve-wracking but quite exciting too,” she said.

Liga is looking forward to showing off her creative hairdressing skills, saying,

“I’m really looking forward to taking part in this very famous competition. I heard about it from my tutor who motivated me to take part.

“I really want to show off my hairdressing skills and creative side. Taking part will support my studies as I will gain experience in a competition setting. I’m hoping the experience will help me to get a job in a salon in the near future.”

For Gemma, the motivation of potentially representing her country in hairdressing, was a big motivation to apply for World Skills.

“Once I heard about WorldSkills I wanted to take part. It’s exciting to know if I got through, I could potentially be representing the country for hairdressing.”

Hassan Rizvi, Principal & CEO at Stoke on Trent College said:

“This is the second year we are hosting the regional hairdressing finals of WorldSkills. We were delighted to be asked to once again host the competition in our industry-standard Hair & Beauty studios.

“We’re extremely proud to have three competitors in the regional finals and wish them all the very best of luck for the day.”

The hairdressing competition assessed all the skills and abilities of competitors entering the field of hairdressing.

Finalists will be announced in July, with the national finals taking place from 19-22 November 2025 at the Greater Manchester Colleges Group. The medal ceremony for finalists will take place on 22 November at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester.

The WorldSkills UK Competition Finals will take place from 25-28 November at venues across South Wales.

Find out more about hairdressing courses at Stoke on Trent College here – https://stokecoll.ac.uk/course-areas/hair-beauty-holistic-therapies/

Notes to Editors

Picture caption – (From left to right) Ashleigh Heath, Gemma Gidman and Liga Liepina

• Stoke on Trent College serves up to 9000 students a year including young people, adults and apprentices. Working with a wide range of employers in key growth areas of the economy such as Digital, Construction, Engineering, STEM and Health and Social Care and more.
• The College also work with young adults who may have a special educational or additional need.
• A wide range of flexible and distance learning is provided by the College to individuals and businesses.

For all media enquiries, please contact marketing@stokecoll.ac.uk  

Stoke on Trent College’s Hammersley restaurant has welcomed community partners from across the city, to our first FE Big Lunch (Friday 13 June 2025).

The FE Big Lunch is part of the broader ‘The Big Lunch’ which is the UK’s national get-together and aims to celebrate the contributions of community and voluntary organisations.

Stoke on Trent College is one of a number of colleges across the West Midlands who have organised lunches for their dedicated community partners.

The FE Big Lunch hosted by the College was a special gathering to show appreciation for the incredible support of local partners and an opportunity to enjoy delicious food and hear about the latest developments at the College.

Opened by Principal & CEO Hassan Rizvi, the lunch also saw guests hear from learners Kirstie Gray and Leah Forkin all about the recent Youth Social Action Project, which helped to raise awareness of homelessness across Stoke-on-Trent plus supporting local charity Brighter Futures.

The event was supported by the West Midlands Lieutenancy, with Deputy Josie Morris MBE DL among the invited guests, which included representatives from Middleport Matters, Brighter Futures, YYMCA North Staffordshire and VAST.

The two-course lunch was prepared and served by hospitality and catering learners to guests, with a menu that consisted of a main of pan roasted chicken, potato croquette, green beans, carrot with mushroom velouté and a dessert of lemon meringue tartlet.

This was a unique opportunity to allow guests to visit, the award-winning, student-led training restaurant, based at the Cauldon campus and sample a selection of a menu curated by learners.

Deputy Lieutenant Josie Morris MBE DL said,

“It’s really important to recognise and celebrate the community and those collaborating to creating better futures in Stoke-on-Trent and wider in Staffordshire.

“I was inspired to hear what Leah, Kirstie-Ann and their team have achieved through the Youth Social Action Project, one of the many examples of the successful partnerships.

“There is loads of energy in this city right now, and this lunch was a testament to the connections and collaborations that are going on between organisations to drive this positive change. Events like this really demonstrates the strength we have in this area.

“And the food was excellent with probably the best dessert I’ve ever had”

Hassan Rizvi, Principal and CEO at Stoke on Trent College said,

“I’d like to thank our hospitality and catering learners who have once again gone above and beyond with preparing and hosting the FE Big Lunch.

“FE Colleges are central pillars of local communities, and through our longstanding partnerships with public, private and third sector organisations, we continue to strive to address diverse needs in our community.

“The FE Big Lunch is our opportunity to thank our partners, who through our collaborative efforts continue to drive positive change. We’re truly honoured to stand alongside these dedicated individuals and groups in their mission to make a difference in Stoke-on-Trent.”

Steve Heaton, Hospitality and Catering Lead at Stoke on Trent College said,

“The FE Big Lunch is another rich opportunity to give our learners practical experience with some new guests to the Hammersley.”

The FE Big Lunch was launched to coincide with the Coronation of King Charles III, and has since become a firm staple in College calendars across the country.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Picture caption – (Left to right) Joshua Smith, Amelia Bilson (Middleport Matters), Deputy Lieutenant Josie Morris MBE DL, Jeremy Cartwright – Board Chair at Stoke on Trent College, Hassan Rizvi, Principal & CEO at Stoke on Trent College, Yvonne Dyer (YMCA North Staffordshire), Lisa Healings (VAST), Noah Leese-Marshall

• Stoke on Trent College serves up to 9000 students a year including young people, adults and apprentices. Working with a wide range of employers in key growth areas of the economy such as Digital, Construction, Engineering, STEM and Health and Social Care and more.
• The College also work with young adults who may have a special educational or additional need.
• A wide range of flexible and distance learning is provided by the College to individuals and businesses.

For all media enquiries, please contact marketing@stokecoll.ac.uk  

The College and its partners are celebrating after being successfully reaccredited with the matrix Standard for delivering high quality information, advice and guidance.

Following a rigorous assessment, Stoke on Trent College has been accredited to the prestigious matrix Standard for another three years. The matrix Standard demonstrates the high quality of the information, advice and guidance it provides to students of all ages, including apprentices and adult learners, to ensure they have the confidence and skills to fulfil their career ambitions.

Stoke on Trent College has a vital role to play in ensuring untapped talent in the local area is identified and supported to progress into skilled employment, higher-level skills or an apprenticeship. Working with local employers, the College is actively looking to fill skills gaps identified in the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) through their four dedicated Skills Hubs.

An independent assessor from matrix Standard visited the College and met with over 60 students and staff across a week at both campuses, to find out about how the College supports students at different stages of their learning and in accessing and achieving their career aspirations. Achieving whole-college accreditation demonstrates a shared, cross-college commitment to delivering outstanding learner support and aspirational career progression outcomes.

The Assessor also met with college partners from ASDA, Carson Powell Construction, DB Cargo, The Discovery Academy, Overclockers, Moorside High School, Port Vale FC, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, and Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Careers Hub, to find out about how we work with them to develop a highly-trained and reliable workforce and the active role we play in the development of a robust and vibrant local economy.

The final report commended the College for its strong commitment high-quality at every level, from leadership to frontline delivery, developing highly effective strategic partnerships and for fostering a culture of wellbeing, aspiration, and learner achievement.

The matrix Standard assessment report highlighted several key strengths:

• The culture of wellbeing is a strength of this College. Staff and students alike benefit from a holistic approach to wellbeing, with specific outsourced solutions and specialist internal roles in place.
• The College is adept in forging and sustaining valuable relationships with partners. The breadth and quality of external relationships enhances the student IAG offer and provides insights and stimulus for innovation in IAG practice.
• CPD for staff remains a strength. Staff benefit from impactful activities including peer shadowing, formal and informal observations of practice, structured training and development opportunities.
• Staff in curriculum and in support roles engage fully with the College values, and this implicitly places students at the centre of consideration.

Roger Chapman, Head of the matrix Service for The Growth Company said:

“This is a fantastic achievement for Stoke on Trent College and I would like to congratulate the team on their success. We believe that at the heart of high-quality advice and support services are strong leadership, excellent service and a focus on continuous improvement, all underpinned by effective use of the resources available. The matrix Standard is designed to benchmark organisations against best practice in these areas. With their accreditation success, Stoke on Trent College is working to provide the best possible support to their learners.”

Commenting on the award, Stoke on Trent CEO & Principal Hassan Rizvi was understandably delighted, he said:

“I could not be prouder of our College and the outstanding work and contributions of our staff, colleagues, partners and Governors in ensuring our learners are supported, motivated and challenged in the best way.

“Getting the right advice at the right time means our learners successfully progress to the next stage of their career, whether that is employment, university or on to an apprenticeship.

“This prestigious accreditation reinforces Stoke on Trent College’s mission to achieve ambitious outcomes for all learners enabling them to positively progress.”

Dave Hopley, Assistant Principal Student Experience, added:

“The Matrix Standard assessor was extremely thorough in questioning and working across different areas of the College, observing the high importance the College places on an individual career journey and supportive environment embracing equality, diversity and inclusion.

“Achieving the whole-college matrix Standard accreditation for Stoke on Trent College is a powerful endorsement of our high aspirations for our learners and our community. It affirms the exceptional quality and consistency of our support for learners. I’m really pleased with the result, and the knock-on effect this will have for the College and our City region.”

To find out more about courses at Stoke on Trent College please visit stokecoll.ac.uk/courses

The next open event at the two College sites is Wednesday 25 June 5-7pm. The Burslem campus offers courses in Construction, Engineering, Science & Technology, and the Cauldon campus has courses in Health & Social Care, Digital and Creative, Pharmacy, Sports, Public Services and Hospitality & Catering.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Picture caption – Stoke on Trent College learners, Admissions team and Careers & Progression Lead Chrissy Pawliszyn and Dave Hopley, Assistant Principal Student Experience celebrate matrix Standard accreditation.

 

• Stoke on Trent College serves up to 9000 students a year including young people, adults and apprentices. Working with a wide range of employers in key growth areas of the economy such as Digital, Construction, Engineering, STEM and Health and Social Care and more.
• The College also work with young adults who may have a special educational or additional need.
• A wide range of flexible and distance learning is provided by the College to individuals and businesses.

For all media enquiries, please contact marketing@stokecoll.ac.uk