SERC Celebrates at Inaugural Staff Excellence Awards
7th May 2026
South Eastern Regional College (SERC) hosted its inaugural Staff Excellence Awards at the college’s Bangor Campus on Thursday 30 April.
Staff, family and friends, guests and members of the Governing Body, were welcomed with a reception before the presentation of awards which recognised outstanding achievements of Northern Ireland’s highest-performing college across all campuses, and celebrated the dedication, innovation, and positive impact staff make every day to the lives of students, and the wider SERC community.
Twenty-nine (29) Campus and Overall Staff Excellence Awards – from almost 200 nominations across the college community – were presented by Tommy Martin, Principal & Chief Executive, and by Oisin Gourley from Edwards Solicitors, headline sponsor and sponsor of the Long Service Recognition Awards presented to 25 staff for more than 30 years’ service. Awards were also presented for Excellence in Supporting the Student Experience, sponsored by East Down Education Partnership; Community Champion of the Year, sponsored by UK Healthcare; Professional Excellence sponsored by Lisburn Education Partnership; and for Excellence in Teaching; Colleague, and Team of the Year.
Tommy Martin, Principal & Chief Executive at SERC said, “Our Staff Excellence Awards, just like our student awards, have been truly inspirational. I heartily congratulate everyone nominated.
“SERC has had the highest success rate amongst Northern Ireland’s colleges, for a number of years. This is not just a statistic. It means every member of SERC staff works to support our students to achieve. It means our students respond to the knowledge, expertise and encouragement SERC provides. It means SERC has a positive impact on many lives, delivering not only qualifications, but also confidence and aspiration.”
He concluded, “Together, our figures of retention, success, and achievement; every enhanced grade and every award in a skills competition; every recognition for a student, or for a student team, all cast a wider ripple into families and communities. The impact spreads beyond the classroom. In this way, we are helping to build a prosperous future for Northern Ireland.”
