Adam Taylor is Crowned VQ Learner of the Year 2012

On Wednesday 20 June, Bridgend College student Adam Taylor was crowned VQ Learner of the Year 2012 at the annual VQ Day celebrations hosted in the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff.

Adam Taylor was nominated by Head of Creative Arts, Sharon James, for his outstanding commitment which has secured him a place at the prestigious Bird College in London to study dance. He has also been awarded a £60,000 dance and drama scholarship, against 20,000 competing applications. 

Adam had a difficult childhood as a mixed race child in a one parent family, and growing up in Barry, a highly populated white area. He struggled to find his own identity and where he fitted in within his local community.  However, through dance, he found he was able to express himself which built his confidence and motivation to overcome economic hardships and personal prejudice. 

At Bridgend College, Adam studied the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Musical Theatre and achieved a triple distinction profile (the equivalent of three A Levels at grade A). His attendance was 100% and his enthusiasm matched this.

He was involved in a large number of performances and extracurricular events that resulted in a number of high profile achievements, including being part of the TrueDynamix vocal dance group which reached the final of Channel 5’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing.

Adam was in good company at the VQ Day celebrations with a further two of the six students shortlisted also from Bridgend College. Sian Preddy is profoundly deaf and at school was told she would never achieve academically. It therefore took a lot of courage for Sian to enrol on the level 3 National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in Children’s Care, Learning and Development programme at Bridgend College in 2008. Yet once Sian had grown to understand what she could achieve there was no stopping her!!

Sian has since also completed the Foundation Degree in Learning Support (Primary) and a BA (Hons) in Education at Bridgend College.  She is now undertaking her PGCE and works as a Specialist Support Officer for the Hearing Impaired Service.

The third shortlisted Bridgend College student is Scott Kihlberg who was nominated by his employer Dow Corning. Scott has just completed the HNC Measurement & Control Systems at Bridgend College as part of his apprenticeship programme, where he has achieved distinctions in all subjects to date.

Scott’s total commitment, dedication and hard work has also been recognised by EEF, and in Novemeber 2011 he was awarded the Outstanding Achievement by a Third Year Apprentice Award at the Future Manufacturing Awards. Dow Corning is now sponsoring Scott to undertake his degree course at Swansea University this September.