Celebrating Professional Development at Stran

On Tuesday 8th October, Stranmillis University College held a Celebration of Achievement event for a broad range of education professionals undertaking Continuing Professional Development programmes.  The event reflects the strong portfolio of professional development courses developed by the College.

The event marked the culmination of the hard work and dedication of students undertaking the innovative Classroom Assistant Certificate (in association with Belfast City Council), the Post-Qualifying Leadership (PQL) Award, the Middle Leadership Certificate (in association with Craigavon Area Learning Community) and Introduction to SEN Certificate programmes.

The College hosted over 150 guests and students as they received their awards for professional learning.

The event welcomed a series of guest speakers including a keynote speech by the High Sherriff of Belfast, Councillor Sammy Douglas.  Past graduates and leaders from the sector Ms Lyndsey Brown, Acting Principal of Craigavon Senior High School, and the Vice Principal of Millisle Primary School, Ms Sara Gowan, also spoke at the event.

The talks highlighted the importance of Continuing Professional Development for learning support staff, teachers and leaders in all sectors, speaking about the vital importance of career-long professional learning within education.

This message was echoed by Ms Claire Packman, one of the recipients of the Classroom Assistants Certificate, who also spoke on behalf of the awardees.

Commenting, Ms Celia O’Hagan, Head of Masters, Continuing Professional Development and Lifelong Learning at Stranmillis, said: “Continuing professional development and postgraduate learning is a cornerstone of every high quality education system and is essential if we are to continually adapt to societal changes and meet the evolving needs of educators and pupils alike.”

“We must continue to promote and foster an environment where innovation and the sharing of best practice cultivates our communities. As research informs what we do, and learning environments evolve, educators must stay updated to ensure that education remains dynamic, inclusive, relevant and capable of preparing our children and young people for the challenges of the modern world. An ethos of career-long learning empowers educators to refine their skills, embrace new support for Special Needs, enhance pedagogical approaches, and create more effective, engaging learning experiences.”

“Through our research-led professional development provision, the Masters and Doctoral programme, Stranmillis is committed to doing just that, and our awardees tonight are exemplars of educators with that same passion.  We are very impressed with their successes this evening.”

Find out more about the University College’s Professional Development programmes here: https://www.stran.ac.uk/courses/professional-development/