SERC Engineering Lecturer Awarded Technical Teaching Fellowship

A South Eastern Regional College (SERC) Lecturer has been announced as a recipient of the 2024/2025 Technical Teaching Fellowship. 

Aine McGreeghan, from Newtownards, a Deputy Head of School of Engineering at SERC, is one of six recipients from across the United Kingdom to be recognized with the prestigious Award, which is made jointly by The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) and The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. Aine’s Fellowship will focus on gender diversity in the engineering and manufacturing industry, including pathways to support women and girls, mentoring, and changing themes in engineering education.

Applications are assessed against criteria including demonstrating highly effective approaches to improving teaching and learning in technical education, how the Fellowship will be used to inspire others, and the planning of professional development opportunities to impact on the pedagogy and professional practice of other teachers. 

Fellows are expected to develop knowledge transfer and exchange activities, sharing effective practice at national and regional conferences and via networks, facilitating CPD and contributing to thought leadership through an established technical community of practice. They will also contribute to a final report to engage and motivate technical education practitioners in their specialist subject areas. Each receives a financial award to support their activity and guarantee remission time and is allocated a mentor to support them for the duration of the programme. 

John Lavery, Secretary of The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, said: 

“The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 congratulates all the new Technical Teaching Fellows and is thrilled to welcome them to the 1851 community. The work they will undertake within the Further Education environment is hugely important and the awards recognise the incredibly high teaching standards and example that they demand, and deliver, of themselves. The Royal Commission is thrilled that the 1851 Technical Teaching programme has proved so successful and is delighted to work in collaboration with The Education and Training Foundation to deliver this newly expanded initiative”. 

Ken Webb, Principal and Chief Executive, SERC said: 

“We are delighted for Aine and her prestigious Technical Teaching Fellowship. As a SERC lecturer, Aine is a shining example, striving to deliver the very best for her students, the College and leading the challenge to right the gender imbalance in the engineering industry - working with everyone from grass roots to the giants of industry. She is determined and passionate about engineering and the opportunities that should be available to everyone who wants to build a career in the sector. We wish her every success with her Fellowship and congratulate her on this prestigious and well-deserved recognition.” 

The Newtownards woman is no stranger to awards - in 2019 Aine was awarded a Biggar Prize in recognition of achieving the highest marks in the Post Graduate Certificate in Education at Ulster University and in 2023 was honoured with a national Pearson Silver Teaching Award for Further Education Lecturer of the Year. 

The Fellowships will be formally presented at an event being held at the Royal Society in London on Friday 1 March, which will include Fellows from previous years describing their Fellowship activity and its impact. 

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