Former Forth Valley College Modern Apprentice Callum Bonner from Tullibody has won the Vocational category (Scottish Region) at the British Education Awards 2019.
Callum (21), joined Seventy-five finalists who travelled across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to attend the British Education Awards, on Thursday 31 January, many having to contend with adverse winter weather in order to celebrate the occasion.
Students and their families mingled with celebrities, educators and politicians at the iconic Beetham Tower, at Hilton Manchester Deansgate, ready to hear the winners of BEA 2019 announced.
Now in its third year, British Education Awards recognises the outstanding academic and extracurricular achievements of students across five award categories, including GCSE or Scottish National 5, A Level or Scottish Advanced Higher, Vocational and Degree.
Twenty winners were presented with a trophy by an array of politicians, leading education professionals and celebrities from the world of television and sport.
Students were judged on their extracurricular responsibilities, which may be anything from running an after school club and volunteering in the community, to dedication to sports and the arts.
This year organisers were thrilled by the diversity and calibre of the finalists, who have demonstrated excellence in subjects ranging from painting and decorating, computer science and medicine to engineering, hairdressing and textiles.
British Education Awards is a unique event as the only national award to shine a spotlight on individual student attainment and has to date presented awards to 47 winners, with many more students shortlisted for their outstanding achievements.
At BEA 2019 organisers are delighted to have the support of Royal Air Force as sponsor of the Vocational category for a second year running, while industrial gas company Air Products also returns as A Level and Special Achievement sponsor. International education charity Al-Habeeb Foundation will return as sponsor of the Degree category.
British Education Awards organiser, Amin Chowdhury said: “This year’s British Education Awards Finalists have shown an admirable level of focus and dedication to their studies, invariably balancing demanding timetables of external activities alongside their official curriculum to achieve incredible academic results.
“We were extremely proud to be able to honour them at the third British Education Awards and hope that, as BEA Ambassadors, their example will encourage others to make the most of the education and learning opportunities available here in Britain.”
At BEA 2019 all Finalists had demonstrated an extremely high level of discipline in order to achieve top grades, and this was further highlighted when taken in context with their extensive extracurricular responsibilities. These ranged from membership of the Girl Guides and RAF Cadets and volunteering within the community, to participation in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, entering national and international competitions, and numerous drama, music and sporting commitments.
The judging panel was also impressed by the extra measures students had taken to advance their learning, with many having undertaken additional study and work placements to achieve their goals. They had also shown significant dedication to mentoring and supporting fellow students through peer study groups, after school clubs and societies.
Around 400 guests gathered for the red carpet gala event and enjoyed a three-course dinner and entertainment. The awards were co-hosted by BBC television and radio presenter Kevin Fitzpatrick, and Professor Basma Ellahi, who is an expert in public health and nutrition from the University of Chester.
The prestigious Manchester ceremony was also attended by teachers, principals and university professors from across the country, as well as government officials.