College rewards student achievements at graduation ceremony

Graduates from BMet celebrated their achievements at the college’s annual graduation ceremony at The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

The event was also attended by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Zafar Iqbal, MBE, JP and award-winning athlete, Jamie McAnsh, who delivered a motivational speech as keynote speaker.

Alongside the formal graduation of HE students 48 awards were presented to students, staff and employers.

Awards presented included: Academic Excellence Award, Inspirational Student Award, Outstanding Engagement Award, Innovation in Curriculum Award and Student Support Champion Award.

Morgan Hunt Recruitment Agency sponsored the Resilience and Determination Award and employers, Roxanne Blackwood from Kimmiu and Louise Pinnington and Karen O’Donovan from Edge Creative, were given Fellowship Awards for their support that has enabled students to progress in their careers.

Family and friends of graduates were invited to the inspiring event alongside BMet staff, which included two performances from BMet’s Sutton Coldfield College Performing Arts students.

Karen Hemmings, department manager for Early Years at BMet graduated with a Leadership Certificate in Post Compulsory Education (Cert Ed) and also obtained a Resilience and Determination Award.

She said: “I’m very excited about being at this awards ceremony, as it means a lot to me to have achieved what I have at this later stage of my life.

“The support I have received whilst studying has been invaluable from teachers, as well as family - some of which are here with me today! I’m so thankful to everyone who has helped me along the way.”

Elijah Lewis, who graduated on his HND Cloud Networking Course and achieved an Inspirational Student Award said: “I’m so very happy to be recognised for my hard work and it has been a long time coming! It feels like a testament to all my efforts and I never could have imagined being awarded how I have been today.

“My action plan of studying computing at BCU is now one step closer and I feel I am on the path to securing a career in Cyber Security.”

Roxanne Blackwood, founder and creative director of fashion brand Kimmiu, won a Fellowship Award in recognition of the work she has done to champion BMet and to developing employability skills for students.

She said: “Winning the award today is a huge honour in what has been a mutually beneficial journey for both students and myself!

“As well as helping learners on their career paths, I have learnt how to tailor my work in ways that can be meaningful and motivating to a target group of people. I have personally grown a lot and developed during my time working with BMet.”

BMet offers a wide breadth of higher education courses across its three colleges: James Watt College, Matthew Boulton College, and Sutton Coldfield College - including Foundation Degrees, Higher Level Apprenticeships, Higher Technical Qualifications, Higher National Certificates and Higher National Diplomas.

To find out more about the range of higher education courses provided at BMet, please visit their website.