Solihull College & University Centre has been awarded two top awards at the prestigious Solihull Chamber of Commerce Awards event.
The event, which took place at Hilton Birmingham Metropole on Friday 20th October, brought together a range of local businesses to celebrate and showcase their achievements.
The Award for ‘Excellence in Training, Education & Development in People’ was awarded to the College, and ‘Solihull’s Rising Star and Future Leader’ award went to College English Tutor and Teaching & Learning Coach, Rachel Arnold.
Outside of her usual role, Rachel has been researching how to bridge the empathy gap with GCSE resit students. Rachel has been studying a Master’s degree at the University of Cambridge and was selected as one of eleven Further Education Research Scholars in the UK, in a landmark project commissioned by the Association of Colleges. Rachel has been investigating the impact of role reversal with teachers and learners, looking at tackling a failure mindset.
Rachel comments: “I was really honoured to have been nominated for the ‘Rising Star and Future Leader’ award by the College. I’m now working towards my PhD part-time”
“It’s been amazing to have the support and encouragement from the College to pursue these academic endeavours and to have the platform to start to impact the research landscape within Further Education, and specifically for our GCSE resit learners. I was both honoured and surprised to find out on Friday that I was the winner of the category and hope to be able to continue to use my research and role within the College to innovate and enhance practice, whilst collaborating in the sector.”
Rachel’s PhD research will involve collaborating with colleges across the UK.
The College also picked up the Award for ‘Excellence in Education, Training, and Development in People.’
Principal Dr Rebecca Gater says, “I am absolutely delighted and incredibly proud to announce that our college has been honoured with this award. This recognition is a testament to our unwavering commitment to empowering individuals and fostering educational excellence. It reflects the dedication and hard work of our entire college community. We are honoured to receive this prestigious award and remain committed to our mission of supporting and inspiring everyone to succeed.”
