3
SUMMER 2015
“I would like to
recognise the
achievements of our
students who
continue to deliver
awards and
accolades at local
and national level.
They are a real
credit to Ayrshire.”
The graduation ceremonies
are my personal highlight of
the year and 2014-15 was no
exception. I am overwhelmed
at the response from friends
and family of our graduating
students who regularly
approach me after the
graduation to say thank you for
the impact the College has
made on their son or
daughter’s future. Sometimes
they say it has changed their
lives too!
I have been delighted to see
various capital works projects
progressing during the year
and I am looking forward to
see the summer works
programmes at Ayr and
Kilwinning completing over the
next few months.
This time next year we will be
fast approaching the
completion of our new campus
in Kilmarnock. I would like to
recognise the fantastic
contribution our contractors
McLaughlin and Harvey are
making - not only to the new
campus build, but how they
are engaging with local
Ayrshire based businesses. I
had the privilege of standing
on top of the skeleton
structure recently which
brought home to me the
legacy the new campus will
deliver for our students across
Ayrshire in the years to come.
Roll on 2016!
One of my personal highlights
of the year was the creation of
the new Skills Centre of
Excellence at Irvine Royal
Academy. Thanks to the vision
and focus of the Principal and
the Chief Executive of North
Ayrshire Council, this project
was delivered from start to
finish in only a few months. It is
one of the best examples I
have seen of like-minded
people wanting to get the job
done. Our colleagues at the
Scottish Funding Council could
not have been more helpful
and further support was
obtained from the Edge
Foundation and Skills
Development Scotland. The
outputs have been truly
transformational. If you haven’t
visited Irvine Royal Academy
Sk