Well done OTC! Shortlisted for a prestigious Education Award 2020

Celebrating over 27 years of delivering education and training to the health and social care sector, the Open Training College (OTC) is honoured to be a finalist in the upcoming Education Awards 2020!

The Education Awards recognise, encourage and celebrate excellence in the third level education sector on the island of Ireland from both State and privately funded institutions.

The independent judging committee has shortlisted the OTC in the following category:

• Best Use of Educational Technology / ICT Initiative of the Year

Full details of the shortlisted finalists can be viewed HERE. The awards ceremony will take place on February 20th when the winner will be announced.

Raymond Watson, Assistant College Director, and Noelin Fox, Social Care Course Director, were instrumental in the development and delivery of an innovative training course in 2019 called 'Practice Educator Online' which formed the basis of the nomination to the Education Awards. The course was developed for a national rollout with important collaboration from colleagues at Athlone IT.

Raymond states "Innovation and collaboration are essential elements of educational excellence and this project has both. In understanding the restrictions on social care practice educators especially to them being time poor, this project uses online learning to provide this cohort with a flexible, accessible way to ensure they are trained to support social care students to become social care workers in the future. In addition the practice educator is involved in a CPD experience that is supported through a suite of eLearning tools to provide participants with a positive, flexible learning experience.

'Having won the International eLearning award for blended learning with IELA a few years back, it would be a privilege for the College to win another award this year. We are shortlisted alongside some other very well established and respected institutions like the Ulster University, NUI Galway and Griffith College. I believe that our continuous ability to focus closely on the ever changing needs of our students will help us to be successful at the upcoming Education Awards.'

More information about the Open Training College can be found HERE

Best wishes to the OTC team!!