Features

MORE INFORMATION

totton.ac.uk

The website for Alex Richards' college, Totton College near Southampton.

STAR awards

Further information on the STAR awards themselves

UNISON encourages its members to enter awards celebrating the achievement of individuals and teams in delivering public services.

UNISON awards

Organising our Future

UNISON's own organising awards, recognising branches' achievements in cateogories such as negotiation, representation and recruitment.

Branch Communications Awards

Acknowledging the best publicity or campaigning material,

The Bob Cotton Citizenship Award commemorates NEC member Bob Cotton, who died at the Ladbroke Grove rail crash on 5 October 1999, and recognises an individual or group who has made a meaningful contribution to their community.

Other awards supported by the union include:

Public Servants of the Year

This is a competition run by Public Finance magazine, published by the Chartered Institute for Public Finance and Accountancy.

Public Services Awards

Organised by The Guardian Society section, with an emphasis this year on finding examples of "innovation, improvement and change" in the public sector.

An important award running at the moment is around stopping racism in football - the Show Racism The Red Card campaign is organising an anti-racist poetry and art competition for school children.

The invaluable support staff who help make our education service run are finally being rewarded for their dedication, says Gary Flood

A star of education

There are many sorts of unsung heroes in public services, in the NHS, local government and the voluntary sector. But in at least one vital area - education - some of those heroes are finally getting the recognition they deserve.

They've always been stars but now some are STARs as well, following the setting up of a new awards scheme supported by UNISON called the STAR awards.

This is a national scheme for recognising the achievements of teachers, lecturers, trainers, managers and support staff in the learning and skills sector. That's more than 600,000 individuals in a diverse range of jobs, from workplace trainers, evening class tutors and college teachers to receptionists, caretakers, cleaners, creche workers, technicians and librarians.

Organised by the Department for Education and Skills, this is the first year of the awards, which attracted 1,600 nominations. Of those, 130 made it to the short list and 13 received their prizes at a glittering London event in October.

Alex Richards, pictured being presented with his award by Durmot Murnaghan and UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis, was the winner in the category sponsored by UNISON, which has many members in school support.

This was for outstanding support other than learning and recognised Alex's extensive commitment to improving his college's services to students and colleagues.

He says he's "astonished" to have even been nominated, so winning is something he told union general secretary Dave Prentis he's finding "overwhelming".

"I feel very honoured indeed to have been chosen from the many thousands of support staff working throughout further education doing a fantastic job, often with little recognition," he says.

"If further education is the 'Cinderella sector,' then support staff are the non-speaking extras within the fairy tale"

Alex won the award after Mark Bramwell, principal of Totton college, near Southampton, nominated him. "Alex is the most hardworking colleague - selfless, modest and dignified," says Bramwell.

Alex has been registrar of the college, which serves 8,000 local students, 7,000 of them part time or adults, since 1998. Coming from an IT background he is now moving to a new post in the college as director of customer services.

"I know it sounds like a cliche, but the reason I won this award is that I work with a brilliant team," he says. "We see our jobs as making sure we're not noticed - that things run as smoothly as possible for staff, students and the administration."

Alex says that one of the biggest rewards in his jobs is seeing individual growth. "It's great to see students tentatively sign up for a 'trace your family tree' course and five years later, after doing all their access courses, go off to university."

The contribution front-line staff in the learning and skills sector make every day to people's lives and aspirations is the main message of the STAR awards, says Minister for Lifelong Learning Kim Howells, who was at the event where Alex received his award.

"That contribution is crucial to the government's drive to improve standards," he adds.

"We recognise the dedication of the STAR winners so their success can inspire others. Winners like Alex have shown ways of helping students reach their potential through life-changing experiences in learning."

Each of the winners of this year's scheme got a £1,000 cash prize, a trophy and a certificate -- and the knowledge their peers know they really are a STAR.

Respond to this article

Star backers

Backers of the STAR idea include celebrities such as Alan Titchmarsh, Stephen Fry and Paralympics 2004 champion Tanni Grey-Thompson.

"There are many tutors and staff members whose support and advice helped me along, and that's why I am supporting the STAR Awards," says Alan Titchmarsh. I would encourage all learners and colleagues to recognise and publicly celebrate the achievements of unsung heroes in their place of learning by nominating them for a STAR Award."

"The many unsung heroes working within the learning and skills sector are highly deserving of public recognition, which is why I am delighted to support the STAR Awards, and wish to convey my congratulations to all nominees who have been short listed for an award this year," says Stephen Fry.

"As a young man some time in the mid 17th Century I studied for A-levels at City College Norwich and therefore have a personal experience of those working within the sector helping students to achieve and exceed their learning goals, setting them on a path to future achievement. Without their passion, flair, charm, patience and belief I would never have gone on to university and the squalid career that followed."

"The learning and skills sector has often been underestimated for its contribution to education," says Tanni Grey-Thompson. "The people involved come from a variety of backgrounds and make a tremendous difference to other people's lives. I know because, as an athlete, I wouldn't have achieved the things I've done without my coaches. They are always in the background, but they are there for me, as a shoulder to cry on, someone to listen to and to be the occasional nag.

"And this is why the STAR Awards are so important, because everyone likes to be told they've done a good job and have contributed to others' success."