Success Stories
We have had lots of success stories over the years. Detailed below are just a few of our most recent ones.
FORMER TRAINEE GRADUATES
Barbara Gordon, former trainee, has just completed her Bachelor of Science Degree (2007). Barbara enrolled on our Women into Technology Course in 2003, which she successfully completed, then went on to College to do an NQ Creative Technology Course. She followed this with an HNC then an HND Applied Digital Media and ultimately the BSc Degree in Multimedia Technology.
Barbara is excited to be graduating at Dunfermline Abbey and is looking forward to securing a job locally where she can use the multi-media skills she has been learning and developing over the past four years.
WE’RE JUST CHAMPION!
A Halbeath single mum who returned to student life simply “ to get out of the house” has been crowned Scotland’s champion learner of the year.
Former barmaid Sharon McDade (32) had no great ambitions when she went along to the Fife Women’s Technology Centre in Dunfermline to do a course in Maths, Electronics and Computing.
But, four years later, she has an HND in Computing, a full-time IT job and on Tuesday was named Learndirect Scotland’s “Learning Champion of the Year” and “Jobfinder of the Year”.
Sharon, Pleasance Road, said she was “gobsmacked” at her success.
She described how she had been working at the Ship Inn, Limekilns, one night a week and said to a customer that there “must be more to life than this”.
The women happened to work at the Technology Centre and suggested Sharon went along.
“I wanted to just get myself out the house a couple of hours a week. I never intended to go to college but I had such a good support system there it built up my confidence and gave me that wee bit extra to enrol for College.”
The former St Columba’s High pupil said completing the course in Computing at Fife College, looking after her six-year-old son Lewis and balancing her budget had been a struggle.
However, the effort had proved worthwhile as it led to a job as an IT assistant at Muir Construction, Inverkeithing.
She was taken on in January and hopes to remain with the company for a longer period.
“I love the job there and it’s a local company and I’d like to stay locally. But whatever happens, the future is a lot brighter than it used to be.”
Extracted from the Dunfermline Press, October 2003
UPDATE (2007)……Sharon has since been promoted and is still at Muir Construction
NATIONAL TRAINING AWARDS—2005
The NTA’s, which are now in their 18th year, are managed in Scotland by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
They are widely recognised as the UK’s premier accolade for organisations and individuals that have achieved excellence through training.
Effective training enables individuals to achieve their potential, organisations to achieve their aims and objectives, and the UK workforce to compete in global markets. The aim is to recognise and celebrate the people and the organisations who create success through training and personal development.
FWTC has been nominated because of its success in breaking down gender barriers in the electronics and IT sectors. We have helped more than 500 women gain new skills and qualifications and progress into employment and/or higher/further education.
Hazel Mathieson, director of learning and skills at Scottish Enterprise Fife said “this is an example of successful training demonstrating the ways in which learning can change people’s professional and personal lives for the better. Those who have been shortlisted for the National Training Awards are making a real difference to their organisations, employees and communities with their commitment to high quality training and best practice.
A workforce with the appropriate skills is fundamental to our success in a competitive world. The achievements the finalists have realised demonstrate the significant benefits from effective learning and skills development.”
The National Training Awards entries are judged in 3 stages and our entry successfully passed the first two stages. The Final stage was held in the Hilton, Glasgow on 11th November 2004.
There were three categories—Highly Commended, Scottish Awards and National Awards.
Staff were excited at the prospect of us gaining yet another prestigious Award for the Centre…. And WE WON a Scottish National Training Award.
SHAW GOLD AWARD
Scotland’s Health at Work is the recognised national standard for workplace health and promotion and has become a national success story in it’s own right. There are 3 Award levels—Bronze, Silver and Gold, providing a framework upon which you can effectively create a health promotion plan for the workforce.
Each level has a set of core and additional criteria and must fulfil all of the core criteria and one or more of the additional criteria to achieve an award.
We were delighted to receive the Gold Award in 2007—and staff and trainees are all healthier for it!
SHAW have also asked that they use our “Steps around the World” initiative as a model of Best Practice for future participants in this scheme.
BEST PRACTICE AWARD IN ICT
European Social Fund Objective 3 Awards are given to ESF funded projects throughout Scotland that have demonstrated exceptional activity in their chosen category and are considered as examples of Best Practice.
FWTC won the Best Practice Award in ICT and were commended for the Equal Opportunities Award.
BBC BIG CHALLENGE HEALTH WORKS AWARD
We were commended for the title Most Improved Employer in the BBC Radio Scotland area, for the BBC Big Challenge Health Works Award.
We were also put forward for the National round of the competition. To end on a high note, the BBC would also like to feature the Centre as a case study for their website!
LEARN DIRECT SCOTLAND LEARNING CENTRE OF THE YEAR AWARD
As part of the Celebration of Learning in 2005, we were commended for a Learn Direct Scotland Learning Centre of the Year Award, shortlisted from over 490 branded learning centres in local communities all over Scotland.
For this we had to demonstrate excellence in training in line with the Learn Direct Scotland pledge to learners.