“At Northern Regional College, we are very fortunate to have dedicated staff who work tirelessly to inspire our students and help them achieve their qualifications.”
Speaking at the College’s Student Awards ceremony in Ballymena, he stressed the importance of lifelong learning and encouraged the students to always aim to ‘go further and go higher’.
“Continuing professional development will improve your employability and help your career progression. Today, most people will have several different careers in their lifetime so it is important to always take advantage of any training or retraining opportunities that could enable you to take on different roles.”
He continued: “Remember that our door is always open. We will always be delighted to welcome you back to the College and provide you with the learning opportunities and support needed to help you progress.”
Mr Taggart also acknowledged the support students got from their families and network of friends and said it was important to recognise the part they all played in helping students achieve their goals.
“Modern life isn’t easy and there can be many distractions and challenges for young people to overcome so this support from family and friends is very important.”
Awards for academic achievement were presented to the highest achieving students on full time courses at each of the College’s six campuses. A number of individual awards were also presented for each campus, including: Further Education (FE) Student of the Year; Inspirational Student of the Year; Student Class Representative of the Year; Student Union Officer of the Year; and Apprentice of the Year.
Ballymena prize-winners included: Rafal Fila, (Level 3 Extended Diploma in Engineering) was winner of the FE Student of the Year Award as well as the Concorde Cup for the Highest Achieving Engineering student.
Rafal (21) who is originally from Poland and has been living in Northern Ireland for the past 12 years, has been offered a place at Ulster University to study Mechatronic Engineering.
Other Ballymena prize-winners were: Inspirational Students of the Year: James McConnell, Larne (Level 3 Engineering) and Annie Montgomery, Kilrea (Level 3 Childcarre); Student Class Representative of the Year, Sash McCart, Raskarkin (Foundation Diploma in Art and Design); Student Union Officer of the Year, Peter Kerr, Randalstown (Level 3 Public Service); FE Students of the Year, Rafal Fila, Ballymena (Level 3 Engineering); Shane Agnew, Ballymena (Level 3 Creative Media Production); Apprentice of the Year, Neil Harris, Newtownabbey (Level 2 Barbering) and Ashton Logan, Muckamore (Level 3 Bricklaying).