Kirklees College students earn national awards

TWO students from Kirklees College have been nationally recognised for academic success and contribution to the college and community.

Irum St Hilaire, who lives in Huddersfield, was highly commended as Engineering Student of the Year, while Haroon Mahmood, of Heckmondwike, was commended as Business and Enterprise Student of the Year at the BTEC Awards 2018.

Irum and Haroon have both represented their course areas on the college’s Student Union executive committee and contributed to college and the community away from their studies.

Irum, 18, who is currently a student governor, works for Blackhall Engineering in Brighouse and is an advocate for apprenticeships for C&K Careers and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership.

She hopes to encourage more young people – and particularly women – into the field of engineering and visits schools, exhibitions and careers fairs to promote apprenticeships.

In 2017, Irum received the national Institution of Engineering and Technology Student Excellence Award. In her spare time she plays rugby league for Huddersfield Ladies.

Level 3 Enterprise student Haroon, 19, was also a finalist at the British Education Awards 2018 earlier this year, representing the North West, North East, Humberside and Yorkshire and West Midlands areas.

Haroon is registered as severely sight impaired, but helps his mum to care for his sister who has additional needs.

As well as helping at home, Haroon has been a course representative at college and a “super rep” at the Student Executive Council in 2016/17. He was also the Student Union’s disability officer.

Haroon is a director of a student company called ACC Books, which won three awards in a local young enterprise competition.

Construction student Onome Benson, of Golcar, also made it through to the second round of nominations in the Apprentice of the Year category. All three students were winners at the College Outstanding Learner Awards.