Construction Lecturer Kevin McLaren celebrated 25 years of working at Forth Valley College by entering a brand new Falkirk Campus.
He marked the milestone in January when he joined colleagues in moving into the new building. His sterling service – which saw him also spend a total of five years seconded to the SQA – has been marked with a cheque for £500 and a personal letter of thanks and congratulations from Principal Dr Ken Thomson, who just last year marked his own 25th year at FVC. Coincidentally, Dr Thomson was on the same teacher-training course as Kevin at Strathclyde University.
Kevin is pictured here receiving his letter from Hannah Ritchie, Director of Curriculum for the Department of Care, Construction and Sport – along with Charlie Cameron, Curriculum Manager for Construction at Falkirk Campus.
Kevin, who started off lecturing in Quantity Surveying in the old Falkirk Campus in January 1995, before moving into teaching Construction Management, said: “Moving into the new campus at the same time as marking my 25th year at the college, was obviously sheer coincidence, but did make it doubly special.
“I have really enjoyed my time here, especially in my role helping to make students enjoy their learning experience.
“We always managed to find a way to recreate what we needed in the old Falkirk Campus, but in this new building there is lots of versatility in the teaching areas. I recently held a mock site visit in the classroom and was able to easily rearrange the desks and chairs to replicate this. It is a great place to work and I love the new campus.
“I am now considering spending most of my gift on following my beloved Greenock Morton!”
Hannah Ritchie, said: “It was a pleasure to present Kevin with his Long Service Award. He is an invaluable member of the Construction team at Forth Valley College and over the past 25 years, he has used his experience and skills to deliver high quality learning and teaching within the Department and the college as a whole. I look forward to working with Kevin for many more years to come.”
Charlie Cameron, added: “It is a great personal privilege as well as professional one, to be involved in this landmark event for Kevin. Many years ago I was one of the recipients of Kevin’s aforementioned learning, teaching and mentoring expertise as a student, returning to higher education, as he was a major part of the then Falkirk College Construction team. He was instrumental in my progress within both Construction and latterly the education field.
“For several years now, Kevin has continued his excellent work with our learners and fully supported me when I joined the college as his ‘lecturing colleague’ and now as Curriculum Manager. I look forward to working with him for many years to come.”