NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR THE 2022 LEARNING ENDEAVOUR AWARDS
21/02/2022
NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR THE 2022 LEARNING ENDEAVOUR AWARDS
OCN NI announces radio personalities Steve Turnbull and Jordan Humphries as hosts
OPEN COLLEGE NETWORK NI (OCN NI) has announced that nominations are now open for the 2022 Learning Endeavour Awards and that radio personalities Jordan Humphries and Steve Turnbull will be returning as presenters of the virtual awards.
Now in their fourth year, the aim of the 2022 Learning Endeavour Awards is to recognise and celebrate the achievements of individuals and their training providers, by highlighting the power of learning to transform lives for the better.
Economy Minister, Gordon Lyons, said: “I am delighted to announce that entries are now open for the Open College Network NI Learning Endeavour Awards 2022. Over a relatively short period of time, the OCN awards have established a real connection with students and training providers right across Northern Ireland, offering a unique platform to showcase outstanding learner achievement, in all of its forms. Each year the calibre of entries is extremely high, which is a testament to the enthusiasm, dedication and expertise of our education and training providers in NI.
“As our economy continues to recover following the effects of the pandemic, developing the local skills base is a key priority for me and a cornerstone of the recovery. My Department’s 10X Economic Vision and associated Skills Strategy set out how we want to equip people with the skills they need for the constantly evolving jobs market and build on Northern Ireland’s successes on the global stage.
“I would also like to commend OCN for introducing learning bursaries for this year’s Awards winners and highly commended entrants, so that people are financially supported on their education journey and able to explore new and exciting career pathways.”
Pierrette Koffi Mel, who won Last year’s Third Sector Learner of the Year category and the overall Hilary Sloan Award, which came with a learning bursary, said: “Winning my category and the Hilary Sloan Award was genuinely a life-changing moment for me. It has given me a huge boost to my confidence and motivated me to continue my education and the bursary has allowed me to plan for my future career.”
Martin Flynn, CEO, OCN NI, said: “We’re delighted to welcome back Jordan and Steve as presenters of the 2022 Learning Endeavour Awards. We are looking forward to seeing the entries from our learners, centres, teachers and tutors whose quality of applications is always extremely high. There are even more learning bursaries available to entrants this year, so we would encourage everyone who is thinking of getting involved to do so right now - best of luck to all of the 2022 entrants.”
OCN NI 2022 Learning Endeavour Awards nomination forms are available via their website (www.ocnni.org.uk/learner-awards) until Fri 18th March, with the awards being livestreamed on social media channels at 11am on Wed 27th April.
For more information visit www.ocnni.org.uk/learner-awards or you can watch a short introduction video to this year’s awards from OCN NI’s CEO, Martin Flynn at OCN NI Learning Endeavour Awards 2022 Announcement.