Hugh Baird University Centre British Display Society Awards

HUGH Baird University Centre's Visual Merchandising and Promotional Design (VM) degree level students were once again visited by a representative from the British Display Society in order to receive some prestigious awards.

The BDS is a firm supporter of Hugh Baird University Centre, as it is recognised at 1 of its accredited 'Centres of Excellence'; only 1 of 7 in the world. The BDS encourages course leads to enter their students into the award pool at the end of each year and to use their end of year project as the submission. A gold, silver and bronze award is given to the top-three performing students at each College as well as gold, silver and bronze awards presented to the top 3 students across all Centres of excellence that enter. This gives the students the chance to compete internationally.

The British Display Society was established in 1947 and was created to encourage and promote the highest standards of Visual Merchandising, Design and Display. The BDS is also a thriving Visual Merchandising / Educational organisation that aims to guarantee VM remains a recognised profession in a modern and ever changing retail world.

Gill Sagar from Icatcha Design and Display Ltd, was on hand to present awards to students in place of Helen from the BDS, who was unfortunately unable to attend due to illness.

The winners for the Hugh Baird University Centre awards 2022 were:- Georgia Connor (Bronze), Jade Ward (Bronze), Sarah Byrne (Silver) and Lydia Ward (Gold). Amazingly, the same students won the international awards which is an unbelievable achievement; outstripping all competition across the world.

When speaking about the awards, Hugh Baird University Centre VM tutor Pete Taylor said:- "The Visual Merchandising and Promotional team of myself, Angela, and Jo are extremely proud of the Level 5 students' achievement in the British Display Society (BDS) Centre of Excellence students' awards. The winning students, and the non winning students all achieved very complimentary comments from the judges at their end of year student show this year."

When Gill was asked about her time with the students she added:- "Congratulations to all the students on their amazing achievements, not just within their own Centre of excellence, but also internationally. The standard has been incredibly high. The quality of work being produced and the level of excellence is a credit to Hugh Baird University Centre."

For more information about the Visual Merchandising and Promotional Design degree level courses available at Hugh Baird University Centre please visit:- Hughbaird.AC.UK.

Hugh Baird College students return from work experience in Italy

A group of Hugh Baird College's L20 Hotel School Hospitality and Catering and Travel and The Visitor Economy students have recently returned from a 3 week work experience trip in Salerno, Italy.

On the trip, they gained valuable hands on experience at some of the City's top Hotels and Restaurants thanks to funding from:- Erasmus and, in association with the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts (RACA), Adopt a School Trust.

The trip, which took place in November, allowed 15 students to work in various roles, including:- front of house, kitchen and food and beverage service. In addition to their work experience duties, the students had the opportunity to immerse themselves in Italian life on a daily basis during their stay in the City of Salerno, whilst excursions to the Amalfi Coast, Rome and Pompei enabled them to embrace the rich culture and history of Italy.

Martin Hedley, Director of Business Engagement at Hugh Baird College said:- "We are extremely proud of our students for their hard work and dedication during this unique experience. Not only did they gain valuable experience in the Hospitality industry, but they also had the chance to experience new cultures and make lasting memories. We believe international experiences like these are an important part of a well-rounded education and key to developing employability skills such as resilience, adaptability and independence. We are confident that our students can apply what they learned in Salerno to their future careers. I would like to thank everyone at the RACA, and their Adopt a School Trust for giving this opportunity to our students."

"This trip to Salerno was an incredible experience that I will never forget. Not only did I get to work in a beautiful and vibrant City with amazing unique and local produce, but I also had the chance to learn from some of the best professionals in the industry and make new friends from around the world. I'm so grateful to Hugh Baird College for making this possible." said Ross McBride, Level 3 Advanced Professional Cookery student from Walton.

The L20 Hotel School at Hugh Baird College is dedicated to providing its students with a high quality education and real world experience in the Hospitality industry. This work experience trip to Salerno is just 1 of the many ways the School is helping its students succeed and thrive in their careers.

To learn more about Hugh Baird College's L20 Hotel School, visit:- Hughbaird.AC.UK, call:- 01513534444 or email:- Enquiries@Hughbaird.AC.UK.