Belfast Metropolitan College and Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) have both received the Queen’s Anniversary Prize.
The UK-wide award recognises excellence, innovation and public benefit in work carried out by UK colleges and universities.
Both institutions recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), formally committing to greater co-operation and collaboration, including the Pathway Opportunities Programme and Junior Academy, as well as working together to meet regional skills development needs aligned to the Belfast City Region Deal.
Representatives from each establishment attended Buckingham Palace for the award presentation.
This is the first time Belfast Met has received a Queen’s Anniversary Prize, which was for developing its Digital IT curriculum in NI. It is the seventh win for QUB, for its work on Shared Education.
The Centre of Shared Education at Queen’s has become a core pillar of education policy and practice in Northern Ireland and has been adopted by educators and policymakers in other divided societies across the world.
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Belfast Met is only one of four Further Education Colleges to have received the prize on this occasion. It was designated Curriculum Hub for the Digital ICT sector in Northern Ireland in 2017 and continues to deliver Employability Skills as part of the Belfast City Deal.
Marie Therese McGivern, principal and chief executive of Belfast Met was “honoured” to receive the prize for “developing a world class IT talent pipeline in Northern Ireland.”
Vice-Chancellor at QUB Professor Ian Greer said, to receive such a “national honour” was a "privilege” and added: “I am convinced of the importance of collaboration and I, and my colleagues, look forward to working more closely with Belfast Met, with a shared vision to enrich education and development opportunities in Northern Ireland.”
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Both Economy Minister Diane Dodds and Education Minister Peter Weir congratulated the institutions on winning the awards, “delivering high quality teaching and training opportunities” and contributing “not only to the local economy, but also to wider society.”
The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes have been running for over 25 years. The scheme runs on a two-year cycle and are managed by The Royal Anniversary Trust.
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