College of West Anglia staff recognised for outstanding achievements at awards ceremony

The annual College of West Anglia (CWA) staff awards took place virtually and saw 27 awards given for a variety of outstanding work including teaching excellence and management and lifetime achievement awards.

Wisbech campus administrator, Sue Baker, won overall Employee of the Year at the virtual ceremony and took home another award for Business Support Employee of the Year.

CWA assistant principal of quality and outcomes, Andrew Gedge, nominated Sue for the award.

He said: “Sue is an outstanding staff member, firmly committed to the student experience and aligned to the College values. She demonstrates an enthusiasm for her role and a prioritisation of tasks that consistently puts the student at the heart of her decision making and she is truly deserving of the Employee of the Year award.”

Sue added: “It’s great to have my hard work acknowledged and both awards came as a complete surprise.”

CWA Faculty Administrator, Nicola Lucas, won a Lifetime Achievement award for 25 years of service at the college.

CWA Learner Support Officer, Aimee Symonds, won the Support in the Learning Environment award.

CWA principal, David Pomfret, said: “Despite the challenges staff have faced this year, due to their unwavering commitment, hard work and dedication to their job roles, we have seen some outstanding achievements throughout.

"I would like to thank our fantastic staff team, all of whom contribute to CWA’s success in a variety of different ways.”

Here is a list of the winners and runners up for this year’s staff awards:

Lifetime Achievement Awards (25 years service): Brian Back – teaching support officer, engineering and electrical; Elaine Cornwell – programme manager, science; Nicola Lucas – faculty administrator business, humanities, science and computing; Paul Runnacles – caretaker; Janet Winsor – cleaning supervisor.

Excellence in Teaching & Learning: Winner – Shareen Hannan – lecturer in English; runner Up – Karen Vickers – lecturer in maths.

Course Director of the Year: Winner – Tony Smith – lecturer in construction and plumbing: winner – Susan Dean – lecturer in science; runner up – James Back – lecturer in construction.

Business Support Employee of the Year: Winner – Tamara Wallace – lead IQA, work based learning apprenticeships; winner – Sue Baker – administrator; runner up - Nicola Lucas – faculty administrator, business humanities, science and computing.

Team of the Year: Winner – apprenticeships; runner up –additional learning support.

New Employee of the Year: Winner – Thomas Waby – lecturer in engineering and electrical; runner up – Clyde Dunn –lecturer in art and design.

Special Award for Outstanding Contribution during the last Academic Year: Winner – Ros Stapleton – achievement and exams coordinator; winner – Danny Huddlestone – health and safety officer; runner up – Katrin Wilhelm – temporary programme manager humanities, social science and A Levels.

Support in the Learning Environment: Winner – Aimee Symonds – learner support officer; runner up – Tracey Palmer – companion animal centre coordinator.

Unsung Hero: Winner – Ron Barber – SMART head caretaker; runner up – Hannah Mann – lecturer in care; runner up – Angie Easter – cleaning supervisor.

Use of IT: Winner – Michael Paveley – lecturer in equine; runner up – Kate Leigh – workplacement and careers coordinator.

Manager of the Year: Winner – Nicky Rowland – head of HR;

winner – Clare Pelling – learning experience manager

Employee of the Year: Sue Baker.