The biggest awards event in the Further Education calendar in Northern Ireland took place this week at the Slieve Donard Hotel in Newcastle, County Down. The BEST Awards recognise innovation in a wide range of areas ranging from creative industries, to visual design and life sciences being cultivated by students and lecturers across Northern Ireland’s six Further Education Colleges.
The Awards were organised by Colleges NI who are the representative body for all six of Northern Irelands Further Education Colleges. The Awards are linked to the development of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. The students competing for the awards highlight the cutting edge and economically relevant skills delivered by Colleges across Northern Ireland.
Projects include detection systems for dangers on farms, alert systems for pharmaceutical supplies, uses for 3D printing, development of children’s educational material, harnessing the energy power of the sea, gaming and recycling.
The winners have been chosen by a panel of judges drawn from MATRIX, The British Council, the Department for Economy, the Federation of Small Businesses, the NI Science Festival, OCN Northern Ireland, The Princes Trust, Queen’s University Belfast, Ulster University, W5, the Royal Academy of Engineering and Young Enterprise NI.
The overall winning project this year was from three Belfast Met students – Ignas Lescinskas, Shannon Turley and Jordan Stephen Hargey. The students created Wee Kids “Island Escape” an interactive 3D game for Primary School children teaching essential geometry skills via gamification methods.
Gerry Campbell, Chief Executive of Colleges NI said,“Further Education Colleges across Northern Ireland are preparing students to play a leading role in the development of the Northern Ireland economy. The excellent projects produced by students who have taken part in the BEST Awards showcase the skills and entrepreneurialism that will be needed to fill the jobs of the future.”