Gongs galore for Northumbria graduates

Two high-flying businesses set up by Newcastle Business School graduates have walked away with a clutch of silverware at the prestigious British Travel Awards.

The Awards Gala Dinner in London celebrated the UK’s best travel and tourism businesses.

Up to 1,000 guests saw graduate business Perfect Weddings

Abroad announced as winner in Best Weddings Abroad & Honeymoon’ category for the third year running.

Meanwhile, Northumberlandbased The Activity Travel Company picked up three awards.

Danny Waine, 25, from Middlesbrough set up Perfect Weddings and Honeymoons Ltd after spotting a gap in the market during his year-long work placement on the BA (Hons) been interested in my dad’s career, but originally wanted to do a business degree. I’m so glad I changed to Estate Management at Northumbria though as I’m really loving it.

“It’s about more than just gaining a degree. There are great links with the industry in both the North East and London, and the course is really close-knit so you really feel part of a community.”

Simon Elliot, who is now Head of Public Sector Consultancy for Sanderson Weatherall LLP in Newcastle, studied BSc Estate Management in the late 1980s.

His son Harry is now in year one of Planning and Real Estate Management, but he is not the only member of the family to follow his father’s lead.

Simon said: “As well as Harry, my eldest son, Sam also graduated from Northumbria last year and secured a job with his very first application. This is quite a validation for getting a degree in a vocational subject and I was very happy that both of my sons studied on the modern equivalent of the same degree, although I never pressured them into this direction.”

He added: “I have a great relationship with Northumbria University, attending seminars they run and delivering guest lectures years we know it provides students with outstanding preparation for employment and career progression.”

Kevin Kerrigan, Executive Dean at Northumbria Law School, added: “This award provides the highest level of recognition for the pioneering work of our Student Law Office. The social benefit of offering vulnerable people a free and accessible legal service is substantial while the student learning experience is authentic, challenging and rewarding.” every year for the past 10 years to help give students a feel for what it’s like to work in the profession.”

The Queen’s Anniversary Prize is a biennial award scheme within the UK’s national honours’ system.

Adam, Dan, Simon and Harry were joined on campus recently by Bob Fletcher and his son James for a photo shoot that brought the fathers and sons together (pictured above).

Bob graduated with a BSc in General Practice Surveying and is now a partner at Sanderson Weatherall LLP.

Peter Yapp, whose son Jonathan is now studying BSc Real Estate, was unable to attend the photo shoot, but he had a very good reason. He now runs his own firm in Asia, JS Valuers, which has offices throughout both the Malaysian peninsula and East Malaysia.

Andy Dunhill, Senior Lecturer on Northumbria’s Real Estate programmes, added: “The Estate Management, now Real Estate, degree is very well established and has an excellent reputation internationally.

“This belief is supported by the number of times we see siblings and friends follow each other through the course. These examples of sons following in their fathers’ footsteps clearly cements our reputation.”

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/ee

The Awards Council of the Royal Anniversary Trust assesses the award winners and submits its final recommendations to the Prime Minister who in turn advises The Queen. It will be presented to Northumbria University for providing: “a distinctive contribution to legal education providing access to justice in the local community.”

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To find out more about Northumbria Law School visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/law

Northumbria has been congratulated for having the most student placements of any UK university at one of the largest centres for scientific research in the world.

CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, is internationally renowned as the groundbreaking home of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), birthplace of the World Wide Web, and as the lab where the Higgs Boson particle was famously discovered. Northumbria excels at giving students a head start in their careers through work placements with a difference. One of these is undoubtedly at CERN’s headquarters near Geneva, on the border of Switzerland and France. Northumbria has seen its total number of student placements at CERN double in each of the last three years – an outstanding achievement that has been congratulated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

Three of Northumbria’s Engineering and Environment students, who were working at CERN when the Higgs Boson was discovered in 2012, have recently returned from their one-year placements.

Iain Steers, Paul Barella, and Liam Dodd were all BSc Computer Science students at Northumbria when they went to work at CERN, known for its slogan of ‘Accelerating Science’.

Liam said: “I walked into a job as a software engineer when I returned to the UK because of my placement at CERN. Northumbria’s excellent relationship with CERN is fantastic for students and is a real selling point for the University.”

Iain, who is now studying for a

Masters in Computer Science at Northumbria, added: “We were exposed to technology at the very cutting edge, gained unique skills, and got to meet industry leaders and company CEOs, while working in an incredible environment surrounded by beautiful countryside.

“I’m in regular contact with CERN via email and plan to go back there as a staff member after I graduate.”

Paul said: “It was great to work in such a multicultural environment. The placement was a genuinely life-changing experience. I plan to do a Masters at Northumbria after graduating and hope to return to CERN one day.”

The Science and Technology Facilities Council described Northumbria as ‘blazing a trail’ for other UK universities in its relationship with CERN.

Jane MacKenzie, CERN Opportunities Project Leader at the STFC, said: “The opportunities offered by CERN to Computing and Engineering students for training and work experience are exceptional, but historically UK universities have not made the most of these opportunities, and there is still a mindset which believes that only Physics students can benefit from CERN.

“Northumbria University is blazing a trail in changing this perception, and the University’s success in placing its Computing students at CERN is well above the UK average.

“CERN’s technology teams want students who are outward-looking, project-oriented team players, and who have a real industry focus. Northumbria students fit this bill perfectly, and the University has worked really hard to foster links with CERN and to help students in their applications.

“The management at CERN are delighted to see more British students in their teams as the main technical language at CERN is English, and that they are happy with the quality of Northumbria’s students is evident since they keep accepting more and more of them! I can only congratulate the University and urge you to keep up the good work.”

CERN, the world’s largest particle physics laboratory, has been at the forefront of scientific and technological development since its establishment in Geneva in 1954. As well as several important achievements in particle physics, this prestigious institution has also been instrumental to the introduction of Internet technology, the development of the World Wide Web, and it is a centre for the development of grid computing.

Gerhard Fehringer, Director of Placements at Engineering and Environment at Northumbria, said: “We are delighted that four of our BSc (Hons) Computer Science students are currently on a placement at CERN. This clearly demonstrates the high quality and commitment of our students.”

Alistair says his time at Northumbria University led him to establishing his travel company.

“When I was thirty I decided I needed a career change and travel was top of my wanted list. I had no idea how to go about setting up a travel business – or any business for that matter – so I enrolled on the BA (Hons) Travel and Tourism Management course at Northumbria.

Three years of study and an invaluable 12 month placement gave me the confidence and the knowledge to create my own activity holiday company and since then I’ve never looked back.”

Travel and Tourism Management course at Newcastle Business School. The award topped a record year for the business with sales up over 150% in 2013, against the previous year.

The Activity Travel Company, including Activities Abroad which offers family-focused activity breaks, and The Aurora Zone specialising in trips to view the Northern Lights, was set up by Northumbria graduate Alistair McLean 11 years ago. It now employs 14 staff – around half of whom are also Northumbria University graduates.

In the British Travel Awards

The Activity Travel Company won ‘Best Small Holiday Company (Family)’ and Best Small Holiday Company (Activity/Sports) for its business division Activities Abroad and ‘Best Small Holiday Company (Adults) for The Aurora Zone.

Experienced and dedicated lecturers, combined with an opportunity to work and study overseas, means Travel and Tourism students at Northumbria can learn from the best in highly relevant and engaging environments.

Naomi Kirkup, a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader on Northumbria’s BA (Hons) Travel and Tourism Management programme, said: “This is wonderful news for Danny and Alistair and well deserved. Our Travel and Tourism Management programme is extremely popular and I think it works so well because it offers a clear foundation of business and management education, and leadership skills within the travel and tourism industry – it’s the right blend across all levels.”