Rail Academy award winners

The results of the inaugural Rail Academy Student Awards 2015 have been announced.

The awards celebrate the achievements of Newcastle College students during the past academic year.

The VGC Group sponsored the following awards:

the Practical Work Ethic award – rewarding a student who has showed an outstanding work ethic, team work, and mental and physical self-discipline. Won by Anthony Walker who “showed an outstanding combination of personal effort, determination and team work during the tough practical track renewal exercise”.
the Maximum Progression award – acknowledging the student who has travelled the furthest during the year, learning from mistakes to be stronger and wiser, and inspiring others to overcome setbacks. Won by Rhys Thomas, who “reflected on mistakes made at the start of the course, showing a remarkable level of maturity and commitment to turn things around”.
the Head of Rail Ambassadors award (joint sponsor with the Rail Alliance) – celebrating the student who represents the Rail Academy and can inspire others in words and actions. Won by Liam Barrass, “an exemplary student and a mature, level-headed leader, an outstanding ambassador for the Rail Academy and the College”.

“Our sponsorship of the Rail Academy is part of our support for people who are interested in a career in the challenging and exciting world of railway engineering,” said Graham Piggott, director of VGC Labour Solutions.

“We are grateful to VGC for their commitment to helping us develop the next generation of rail engineers by helping to reward and inspire them,” said Newcastle College’s Head of Rail Marc McPake. “These awards are to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our students, and VGC’s support is helping to make the Rail Academy the training hub for rail engineering in the North East.”

The full list of awards winners:

Student of the Year sponsored by Infra Safety Services Labour Ltd – Elliot Johnson
Attitude, Attendance, Achievement ‘AAA’ award, sponsored by Ganymede Solutions – Samantha Davenport
The Practical Work Ethic award, sponsored by VGC Group – Anthony Walker
Above and Beyond Award sponsored by Specialist Industrial Supplies – Liam Price and Andrew Bell
The Maximum Progression award, sponsored by VGC Group – Rhys Thomas
English performance – Kieran Wallace
Maths performance – Henry Paget
Functional Skills Performance award – Anthony Walker
The Pandrol Challenge sponsored by Glazing Films and Blinds Ltd – Ryan Dale, Brandon Foster, James Gowland, Liam McLeod, Liam Barrass
The Head of Rail Ambassadors award, sponsored by VGC Group and the Rail Alliance) – Liam Barrass
Infra Safety Services Labour Ltd work trials – Liam Barrass, Paul Cross, Simon Davenport, Robert Hall, Alex Larke, Arron Richardson, Ben Shilling, Boon, Jason Thompson, Nathan O’Connel

The awards took place on Wednesday 8 July at Newcastle College Rail Academy, Felling, Gateshead, NE10 0JP.