Interior Décor student from West Kirby, Jen Stewart, has scooped a rare City & Guilds Medal for Excellence award in recognition of her exceptional work.
Jen, a student at Wirral Metropolitan College, is one of only 87 lucky people to scoop the 2006 award and pipped over 750,000 other entrants to land the City & Guilds Medal for Excellence for her outstanding performance on the Interior Decor course.
City & Guilds, the UK’s leading awarding body for work-related qualifications, awards the coveted Medals for Excellence, which reward talented people who have displayed exceptional standards as students or educational professionals, and whose portfolio and achievements put them a cut above the rest.
According to the City & Guilds judging panel: “work of an extremely high standard is presented in this nomination in which the care and consideration of the craftsperson is evident. She is a deserving recipient of the Medal for Excellence and we are delighted to have chosen her for this award.”
Presented by Mr Trevor Myers at the City & Guilds ceremony in Reading on 16th March 2007, a thrilled Jen said:
“When I was asked how it felt to receive the medal for excellence I couldn’t describe it, so I slightly adapted a Chinese proverb: give a woman a design and she’s happy for a day. Give her the knowledge and the skills to create her own designs, and she’s happy for a life time!!
I’ve always had a passion for art and design and wanted to realise this. The City and Guilds course was perfect, I started part time and was able to look after my young son and study too. Level 2 led on to Level 3 and before I knew it, I was on the full time diploma course, with a part time job and a seven year old son to pick up from school. I intend to set up a business designing and making craft items for individual clients, and hope to build the business up to include some commercial clients too.
I’m currently employed by Wirral Metropolitan College as a part time tutor teaching the City and Guilds Design and Craft, so that’s a kind of medal too!”
Jen is now in the running to win one of eight prestigious Lion Awards, dubbed the ‘education Oscars’, which will be announced later this year at a gala event to celebrate learning, success and achievement, in London.
Dot Rowe at Wirral Metropolitan College, said: ‘Jen has deservedly won this mark of special distinction. She is a real inspiration to others and demonstrates that getting the right skills can be the passport to fulfilling your true potential and, more importantly, your dreams.’