Graduation 2009 Special Edition

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What’s the Buzz Graduation SpecialWhat’s the Buzz Graduation SpecialAn Introduction to all our Students of the Year

Editorial: Shelagh McLachlanIf you would like to submit any articles for the magazine or would be interested in a work experience placement please e-mail s.mclachlan@ayrcoll.ac.uk

Photographer: Colin NixonIf you have any images you would like us to consider for the magazine please e-mail them as a .jpeg or .tiff to c.nixon@ayrcoll.ac.uk

Designer: Colin Nixon

Editor for October is Shelagh McLachlan, Admissions & Marketing Manager at Ayr College.

Welcome to a special edition of ‘What’s the Buzz’ magazine. At this time of the year the buzz around

the college is all about celebrating the success of those who have achieved awards in our annual Graduation Ceremony. Each year the academic departments are asked to nominate a Student of the Year who they feel has demonstrated outstanding commitment and academic success. The magazine team caught up with some of the winners and I’m sure you will be inspired after hearing about their life changing experiences. Everyone is at a different stage of their career but we are proud that they all chose Ayr College to gain their award, and wish them continued success for the future.

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Ayr College is a charity registered in Scotland, charity number SC 021177.

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Daniel TierneyMusic and Performing Arts Student of the YearSponsored by: Mediaspec

I am a butcher to trade and just before I came to college I was working in a fruit and veg wholesalers in Inverness. I moved from Inverness as I wanted

to pursue a new career after I was involved in a car accident in which I sustained spinal injuries. I chose music because this is my passion. My experience at Ayr College has been absolutely brilliant; the staff have been first class. I have learned a great deal about sound production and also about myself - maturity and determined to succeed being the most prominent.

Since leaving college I was offered a place on music courses from three different universities and chose the University of the West of Scotland. I am two weeks into the course and it is going well so far! I am glad that I chose the college / university route and I definitely think it has helped me get where I am today and I hope it leads to a job in the music industry which is my ultimate goal.

Advice I would give to current students is try your hardest, give everything your best shot and never give up. Confide in the staff they are here to help you succeed!

Curriculum Leader, Patrick Devlin who nominated Dan for this award said, “Throughout his time at college Dan has been exceptional. His standard of work was superb as was his attitude to learning. He was the Class representative and a very popular member of the music student fraternity. We are all delighted with his achievement and wish him success with his career development.”

Candice StewartFashion, Hair & Beauty Student of the YearSponsored by: Hourstons

Ayr College fashion student, Candice Stewart, 18, has been recognised with the department’s award for Student of the Year. Candice was nominated by her

course lecturer after demonstrating complete dedication to her studies.

Candice will graduate at this year’s ceremony with NC Fashion Levels one and two and has progressed to her first year of the HND course with the hope to working within the fashion industry.

Curriculum Leader Anne McCaig states; “Candice has come a long way since she started at Ayr College, she has developed her own sense of style and become a mentor to fellow students. Candice has constantly completed her work and assessments to a high standard exemplifying her natural aptitude for fashion and design.”

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Amelie WeisbeckerVisual Arts Student of the YearSponsored by: Brown Brothers

Amelie achieved excellent results gaining HNC in Media Analysis and Production. Julie Thorne, Curriculum leader who nominated Amelie for this

award said, “Although her first language is French, she produced outstanding work in both production and theoretical units. Not only is she very creative, but she has very good analytical skills and can articulate her ideas very well in a second language.

She was a superb example to the rest of her class. Her level of commitment was very high and her attitude to her work was excellent.

Her ability has been recognised by the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Dance where she has been accepted on the BA for Digital Film and Television course.”

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Joanna QuailSupportive Education Student of the YearSponsored by: Ede and Ravenscroft

I went to Belmont Academy and left school at the end of 5th year. I liked the idea of doing a care course because I like looking after people especially if they

can’t look after themselves. My brother who is two years older than me is in a wheelchair and I enjoy looking after him. When I came to college last year I did a “Choices” course which was good and I did Numeracy, Computing, Citizenship, Guidance and Care.

I liked the Care class the best as we did Health and Safety, Care Values and Principles and Recognising Needs. We went on visits to Kyle Resource Centre and Dalmilling Day Care Centre so we could see what they were like. We also went a class trip to Poland visiting Auschwitz.

I like learning and I have enjoyed making new friends at college. The lecturers were very helpful and made the classes interesting. I have decided to stay on at college and learn more about Care. This year I am at Cumnock Community College doing an Introduction to Care course. We are doing Psychology and Sociology which are very interesting. We have been asked to create a character, mine is Mary Scott and she has dementia, each week we extend her case study as we learn more about looking after someone with this illness.

Ann Inglis who nominated Joanna for this award says, “We were all very impressed with Joanna’s DVD which she made of our trip to Poland, she worked very hard on this and we thought her extra effort deserved recognition.”

c&si David AndersonCarpentry, Joinery, painting and Decorating Student of the YearSponsored by: Ashleigh, Scotland Ltd.

Ayr College Advanced Certificate Carpentry & Joinery student, David Anderson, has been awarded the title of Student of the Year for

Carpentry and Joinery. Currently working as a trainee joiner, David was nominated for his enthusiasm, his commitment to improving his theoretical and practical skills, and the initiative shown throughout his course. David, who will graduate at this week’s Ayr College ceremony, also represented Ayr College at the National Finals of the Skillbuild Competition which took place earlier this year. Following his success at the Scottish heats of Skillbuild, David will attend a further ceremony on the 3 November to receive his silver medal, achieved for his construction of a roof at the event.

David Anderson stated; “I am very happy to be nominated for Student of the Year in Carpentry and Joinery. Ayr College has helped me develop my practical skills and build upon my theoretical knowledge. I currently work with JL Nicoll & Son in Prestwick and the skills that I have learned throughout my time at Ayr have been invaluable.”

David has progressed from the Advanced Certificate and is now studying for his HNC in Construction Practice at Ayr College.

Course lecturer, Graham Gilbert, said; “David constantly displayed commitment to his studies and his apprenticeship. He was nominated for this, due to the high standard of written and practical work he produced. David has constantly displayed a very keen interest in all fields of his college courses, including areas of work which were new to him. Everyone was proud of David when he represented Ayr College in the national finals of Skillbuild, where he was placed in the top ten!”

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Edward PairmanBrickwork/Plumbing, Gas and Electrical Student of the YearSponsored by: Dawn Construction

Ayr College lecturer Edward Pairman has been nominated for student of the year following his successful completion of the C&G 2380 IEE Wiring

Regulations course, for which he gained 100% on his online exam.

Edward currently delivers lectures at Ayr College from Skills for Work to NC level, in both cases teaching basic electrical hand-skills and theory. However, Edward returned to the college as a part time adult apprentice with the objective of becoming an SJIB graded electrician to back up his academic credentials. Edward, who also runs his own home improvements and electrician company, decided to go back to study as his senior electrician announced he would retire in the next few years.

Edward states; “As my senior electrician is due to retire in the near future I decided to gain my electrical qualifications personally, rather than outsource. The course has provided me with vital skills to ensure the profitable future of my company and the support I have received from the lecturers here has been great. Obviously with running my own company and lecturing I have deadlines and additional commitments, however, the flexible nature of the part time course meant this was never a problem.”

Edward was nominated for the award by his Curriculum Manager James Bennett. James stated; “Edward has worked diligently and achieved very high standards throughout the course. He has been completely committed to his study despite external demands and pressures and I wish him every success in the future.”

c&si Sourabh JoshiEngineering Student of the YearSponsored by: BAE Systems

I was born and brought up in Rajpura in India. My father and brother are both lawyers and my mother is a housewife. Throughout school my ambition was

to secure a place at the Indian Space and Research Organisation and I attended special competition classes to give me a better chance of gaining a place. I passed the entrance exam but at the same time I found out about this course here in Scotland and I knew that it would be even better for my future prospects.

The course is really interesting and adventurous, by that I mean we are being introduced to new subjects all the time. At the moment I am working on a really fascinating project about a wind tunnel and the aerofoil.

Next year I will be going to university. My preference is Queensmerry in London to study for a degree in aerospace. After this I may consider learning to be a pilot. Although the astronautics industry is just beginning in India I am thinking about applying to America for a job with NASA.

It has definitely been the right decision to start my journey in Scotland, the qualifications are more respected around the world and it has opened up a lot of opportunities.

Scotland is very different from India; it is much colder although we have adapted to the climate now! The atmosphere is much cleaner.

Engineering Lecturer Gordon Keary, who nominated Sourabh for this award said, “With a new course of study in unfamiliar surroundings, Sourabh set the bar high.

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Lee TaylorPathways Student of the Year & Ayr College SQA Student of the YearSponsored by: Ede and Ravenscroft

I started life near Ullapool in the Highlands but have lived most of my life in Annbank and I’m currently living in Dunure. I was trained as a jeweller working in “The Jewel

Room” and although I really enjoyed this job as the years passed I was getting bored and needed a new challenge. I wanted to move on and learn new things. At the same time I was playing bass guitar in a band called “Serotone”, we got signed up with a recording company and produced an album and I had really hoped we would get somewhere.

However, as time passed my interests expanded and I was eager to learn other things. I decided to come to college and study to gain Highers so I could build a solid foundation and move forward from here. I chose a science based course and Physics was the one that really held my interest. I love discovering how things work and I am intrigued by logic and problem solving. College has been brilliant, I have enjoyed it so much which was strange because I really didn’t enjoy school. My attitude and outlook to life and education has changed and this has had a dramatic effect on my abillity to learn. I left school with few qualifications and as I did not gain Standard Grades I had to work harder at understanding the course work. I really appreciated the extra time my lecturers spent with me one on one explaining and enlightening me, they were genuinely altruistic.

Now I am at the University of Glasgow studying for a degree in Physics and Electronic Engineering. Physics is my passion and electronics will hopefully enhance my employment prospects. My dream job would be something related to getting people into space but I am a realist so I will be open minded when it comes to job hunting!

I manage to balance studying with my part time cleaning job in the college and playing in a band. I play in “Encore” which is a wedding band (www.encoreband.co.uk), I really enjoy it and it helps a little towards managing financially as a student. Certainly when I decided to give up my full time job and come back to college I had to plan my finances carefully: I’ve sold various belongings, filled my freezer by fishing in the sea and I elliminate winter fuel costs by collecting logs for the fire.

Curriculum Manager, Sooh Sweeney who nominated Lee for this award said, “Lee left school with few qualifications and he knew in order to achieve his goal he would need to start with Highers. During the summer months prior to starting his course he worked his way through maths text books and SQA past papers, teaching and assessing himself. This drive, determination and hard work continued throughout his time at college. At times he struggled but was never shaken when he encountered difficult topics. He persevered and continually pushed himself. He achieved AABC grades and is now at university. Lee is an ambassador for mature students and a shining example of a Pathways student who has shaped their own future through diligence and hard work.”

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Tracy M CNeillAdministration Student of the YearSponsored by: Ede and Ravenscroft

Before I came to college I was working part time in the Care sector, initially with the ambulance service and latterly with Hansel Village. I really liked the job

however it involved working shifts and having sleepovers and as I have a young child to look after this was not really suiting my family life. I decided to aim for a 9am - 5pm job in an office as I always enjoyed doing administrative tasks.

I knew I would need to start at college and gain up to date qualifications - this was a big decision for me and I took a long time even to contemplate it. However my niece did an Administration course here a few years ago and after speaking to her I thought - I could do this!

I attended college three full days a week and at first I admit to thinking, “What have I done?” but after a few weeks I settled down and started to enjoy myself.

I really enjoyed my whole college experience, I am pleased to achieve HND Administration and IT

Management and I feel much more self confident now, I have learned that I can do something if I really want to. I like learning and college has been a great place to start.

Linda Pardoe, Curriculum Manager for Administration, Tourism and Management nominated Tracey for the award. She says, “ Tracy was looking to change her career from a carer to something more office based. At the start of the course she had very little confidence or self belief that she could complete the HNC. As the year progressed she fully engaged in the learning process and achieved fantastic results from her coursework and was motivated to carry on and complete her HND achieving A grade passes.”

Alasdair M CNicolBusiness Management Student of the YearSponsored by: Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce

Former HND Accounting student at Ayr College, Alasdair McNicol, 23 from Coylton, has received Ayr College’s Student of the Year Award within

Business and Accounting department. Alasdair was chosen for the award following the successful completion of his BA Accountancy and Finance from Ayr College, which is accredited by Herriot Watt University in Edinburgh.

After Alasdair completed his HND at Ayr College he secured full time employment in an accounting position. However, his drive and enthusiasm for learning resulted in Alasdair returning to full time study in a bid to gain a BA Degree with Ayr College.

Alasdair said; “Ayr College has taught me invaluable lessons, not only in finance, but also with my personal development. After I completed the HND Accounting course I managed to get a position within a great company, however, I still wanted to build upon what I had learned. I completed my ACCA papers and when I got the opportunity to study to degree level I couldn’t turn it down. It is great to be recognised as Student of the Year within my department and I could not have achieved anything without the support offered by the lecturers”

Although Alasdair came across difficulties with the course, his perseverance and dedication helped him to accomplish his degree and he is currently working in accounts at AAP Tradewinds in Cumnock. Alasdair will receive his degree and Student of the Year award at the college Graduation ceremony in Ayr Town Hall.

Curriculum Manager, Jeanette McCulloch stated; “Alasdair had some initial challenges getting to grips with the course, however, he concentrated all his efforts on successfully completing his degree programme and rarely missed a class. It was a big decision to leave his job and return to full time education, however, it has really paid off and we are very proud to see him graduate.”

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Andrina LellandCare Student of the YearSponsored by: Ede and Ravenscroft

I had always wanted to come to college but at 17 years old I became a mum so I put this on hold for a few years. Meanwhile I had a few jobs working in hotels

and then I was made redundant. I was taken on to a project in North Ayr that helped unemployed people get back into work and they arranged a paid placement in the John Pollock Centre nursery including training in SVQ Early Years and Childcare. I had another baby and left to look after her and worked part time as a

housekeeper in the Elms Court Hotel. But I was still drawn to college and finally I gave myself an ultimatum to go now or not at all!

I enjoyed all the classes but especially the work placements in Braehead, Newton and

Dalmilling Primary schools. The people in my class were brilliant and I need not have worried that I would be the oldest student as there were other mature students on the course as well as younger people. The course is hard work but it’s fun! One of the greatest benefits I received was a massive boost to my confidence. I now believe I can achieve anything if I want to, you just need to keep believing in yourself, work hard and know that there is always someone willing to help you.

Curriculum Leader, Heather Miscandlon who nominated Andrina said, “Andrina has demonstrated significant academic ability and commitment way beyond the expectations of both herself and her lecturers. In addition she has unselfishly supported and assisted fellow students to enhance their own learning.”

Serena CastelliHospitality Student of the YearSponsored by: Glasgow Prestwick Airport

I attended Wellington School and when the time came to leave I was still unsure of what I wanted to do. I was encouraged to go to university and enrolled

for a degree in Conservation Management at Stirling University. I soon found out this was not for me and I left with the intention of entering into the Hospitality Management sector. My parents disapproved as they own a family business (chipshops) and would have preferred I had an alternative career, but I was sure that this time this was the right choice for me.

I have loved college and feel I have been able to thrive in this environment. It is very different from university in terms of allowing you to work at your own pace, its less serious, you don’t attend lectures with another few hundred people with no opportunities for interaction. The classes here are smaller, the tutors are excellent - approachable and friendly, there’s more communication and you feel people are listening to you. It’s a non judgemental environment and I feel more comfortable working with people here.

Curriculum Manager, William Ferguson who nominated Serena for this award said, “Serena has been since day one a model student. From attendance, attitude and attainment

she has excelled in all she has done. She has a personality in keeping with her name

– serene, calm, competent working well on her own and in a team. Serena was a member of the team who won the Tourism Team Challenge organised by the Chamber of Commerce.”

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Amandeep SinghInternational Student of the YearSponsored by: Ede and Ravenscroft

I grew up in Panchkula, India with my sister who is now a lawyer and my father, a civil engineer and my mother a housewife. As a child I was always interested in aircraft

electronics and my favourite subjects at school were Physics, Maths and Chemistry. Latterly I was the Head Boy of a large school with over 5000 pupils, in each class there were 60 of us and the teacher had a microphone just to be heard. There were not many opportunities for interaction or questions. This is in contrast to Ayr College which has smaller classes allowing more attention and a chance to talk to the lecturers.

My course experience has been good especially the practical classes; we have made an model aircraft window and a particularly interesting class has been “Human Factors” where we have learned the process accident investigators go through after an incident and how they prepare their reports. This year we have a project to work on and I am focusing on avionics which is most interesting.

Next year I will go to university, my first choice is Glasgow and my career ambition is to be an Avionics Design Engineer. After this experience I will complete my aircraft licence and become an Aircraft Engineer.

Lecturer Gordon Keary, who nominated Amandeep for this award said, “Amandeep is an exemplary student; a team player who can stimulate discussion amongst his peer group and has helped forge a focussed learning environment.

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Bill Johnston AwardSponsored by: Alloway Rotary Club

Ayr College students make a difference in our community both as individuals and through teamwork by volunteering and fundraising.

This year the award has been won by the NC Sound Production class.

Ayr College Music Technology students presented a cheque to Cancer Research UK for £928.00. The students had organised a mini festival as part of their studies. Event Organisation is a major part of the music course and helps promote teamwork and develop organisational skills as well as raising money for a good cause.

The event was held at popular nightclub Fury Murry’s, who kindly donated the venue free of charge. The students arranged for a number of live bands to perform on two consecutive nights. On the third night of this mini music festival a number of DJs rocked the house with an eclectic mix of rock & pop.

Curriculum Manager, Michael McHugh who nominated the class for this award said “I was delighted with the success of the event and very happy with the partnership formed between a local business, local bands and the student group. Together with the support from the audience the event demonstrated a real sense of community spirit.

The class were superb in terms of their organisational skills and drive for success. They really took ownership of their own learning experience and the development of their essential skills, in pursuit of their learning outcomes was extraordinary.”

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Elizabeth PattieAllister Boyd AwardThis award is sponsored by Ayr College in memory of one of our past Business students, Allister Boyd.

Allister Boyd studied HNC Business Management at Ayr College and was awarded the Business Student of the Year Award 2007. He had been

diagnosed with cancer in 2005 and deferred his entrance to University to concentrate on essential chemotherapy and embark on his degree once he was fit enough to do so. He was a very positive student to work with and has never let his illness get in the way of his goals and achievements.

Tragically, Allister’s cancer returned and he was diagnosed as terminally ill. He worked tirelessly to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Allister passed away earlier this year.

He was an inspiration to everyone who knew him and we remember him as lovely person and an ideal role model as a business student. Everyone was so pleased with his success here at the college and inspired by how hard he worked in every aspect of his life.

Ayr College would like to recognise such an inspirational student by sponsoring an award in his name, for a student who has exceeded expectations in terms of the distance they have travelled since coming to college.

The award has been won by Elizabeth Pattie, a NC Health and Social Care (Higher) student. Here is her story:

A friend of mine had just started nursing and listening to her stories I thought her job sounded really interesting and something I would like to do as well. But I thought it would be impossible, as I was working part time as a cook in the Craignban Nursing home and also looking after my son how could I start studying for a nursing career? I had hated school and always felt I was not brainy enough to become a nurse.

However I went into college just to find out more about what I would need to get into the course. Before I knew it I had an interview arranged and amazingly I got an offer of a place on the Health Care course. I was very nervous to start with but the lecturers were great and made everything very clear and gave me lots of information.

The workload was hard but I soon got into a routine and because I was enjoying myself it made things so much easier and I never looked back.

I really enjoyed going out on placement. I worked in the medical admissions assessment centre in Crosshouse Hospital and I thoroughly enjoyed this environment. I like listening and helping people and the more I learned the more I wanted to know. I also spent some time in a nursing home helping the residents with their personal care but most of all I preferred the nursing.

I passed my college course and learned new skills such as time management and organisation skills as well as gaining more self confidence. I am just about to start at the University of the West of Scotland for a degree in Adult Nursing. My ambition is to work in A&E or in Oncology.

Anne Dunne, Curriculum Leader for Health Care who nominated Elizabeth for this award said, “In recognition of her hard work, achievements, citizenship and distance travelled since coming to college, I feel she is a very worthy nominee. Elizabeth impressed me with her dedication and work ethic which resulted in her achieving excellent grades in her exams. She has excelled in practical skills, her gentle caring manner helped to promote the wellbeing of patients and her enthusiasm for her work was recognised by her preceptor who gave her an excellent report. I have no doubt she will be a real asset to the nursing profession.”

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Special thanks to all our sponsors:

t. 01294 278951 | www.brown-bros.com

Ayr College is a charity registered in Scotland, charity number SC 021177.

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