Global Young Entrepreneur Honours Uxbridge College Students UXBRIDGE COLLEGE students received awards from a young entrepreneur who has built a global business from making jam to his Nan’s recipes.

The 23-year-old SuperJam innovator Fraser Doherty started making and selling jam when he was just 14, and now supplies 2,000 supermarkets internationally including Waitrose, Tesco and Morrisons.

Fraser congratulated the Uxbridge College students who included the overall winner Katherine Price of Ruislip, who received the Super Star prize sponsored by Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets.

Katherine, a student on the BTEC Level 3 in Performing Arts Music Practice, was chosen for her personal achievements, as well as for the way in which she has influenced the course to give it a greater emphasis on classical music. She plays the piano, flute and cello and has performed at events including Cinderella at Ruislip’s Winston Churchill Hall, and at college open evenings. She will now study music at university.

Other winners included: Daniel Oladunjoye , 42, who was the only mature student in a class of 16-18 year olds studying Health and Social Care – which is also mainly a female-dominated field. The father of four had also had a long break from education. However he was extremely motivated and went on to get distinctions in every unit of his qualification. Daniel won the Star Award for Early Years, Health and Social Care, sponsored by Buckinghamshire New University.

Charlotte Looney , 20, who took the Higher National Diploma in Business and is now entering a degree in Business and Management in the third year at Oxford Brookes University. Despite bringing up a young family and working, she has produced an exceptionally high level of work – and has also got involved in college activities such as fundraising for Hillingdon Hospital. Charlotte was the winner of the Business Higher Education Award, sponsored by the University of Hertfordshire.

Zena Mainoo-Jones , 17, an Engineering Apprentice with British Airways. Zena did extremely well to get a place on this competitive course, and is now one of a select group chosen to go through to the next stage. Diligent, dedicated, intelligent, hard-working and pleasant, she has achieved excellent results and is looking forward to working further with BA at Heathrow. Zena won the Intermediate Apprentice Award, sponsored by Hillingdon Chamber of Commerce.

Hale Hamilton Valves Ltd of Uxbridge – which won the Employer Award in the Apprenticeship category. This company, which makes high performance valves and valve systems, sets an example to other apprentice employers. Its apprentices get exposure to all parts of the business, from initial design, to production and manufacturing of the finished product. They get a chance to work in a variety of roles and where possible work at different locations, including BAE Systems in Cumbria and at a nuclear power plant in Wales. The company also has a dedicated IT training room, and is also going to build an engineering training workshop. The company has seen 15 apprentices qualify since 2000, and put three of their staff through assessor training with another about to start.

Achievers of all ages celebrated with friends, family and staff at Uxbridge College’s Annual Awards Ceremony 2012 on September 20, at The Beck Theatre in Grange Road, Hayes.

The winners were chosen from among the 10,000 full-time and part-time students at the College, which has campuses Uxbridge and Hayes in west London.

Special guest Fraser Doherty talked about his career and presented the awards, as well as meeting students afterwards. Scottish-born Fraser now supplies supermarkets globally with his 100% fruit jam, has won more than twenty awards, and invests in a number of community and charitable causes. His product is exhibited in the National Museum of Scotland as an ‘Iconic Scottish Brand’ alongside Irn Bru, Tunnock’s and Baxters.

Principal of Uxbridge College, Laraine Smith OBE, said: “There is nothing like this event to demonstrate just how much Uxbridge College means to those who study with us – and the impact it has on the wider community.

“I would like to congratulate all our award winners tonight for their achievements – both our students and those organisations recognised for the support they give us.

“Our students inspire me, humble me and remind me why Uxbridge College is such a special place. Whatever each individual’s starting point or goal, we can offer them the teaching, facilities and support they need to move forward and achieve.”

Prizes included Achievement Awards and Star Awards for each of the college’s teaching areas, and Special Awards, some of which were given to organisations which support the college’s teaching and learning.