Press Release
Date: Thursday 28 September 2006 (NR/27/06)
Northern Ireland ’s IT girls shine at ‘A Star Awards’
Local Exams Body, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) has congratulated its top female GCSE and A level computing students who were recognised at a special reception in Parliament Buildings this week.
The A Star Awards, organised by Axios Systems and co-sponsored by Accenture and IBM, are a major UK-wide initiative to encourage more young women to study and pursue careers in the IT industry which traditionally has been very much male-dominated.
Marie-Therese Lee from St Patrick’s Academy, Dungannon scored the highest mark of any girl sitting CCEA’s A Level ICT this year and has qualified to represent Northern Ireland in the UK final of the Axios A Star Awards, together with runner up Donna McDermott from Thornhill College .
Claire McKeveney from Lismore Comprehensive School was winner in the GCSE category and will also represent Northern Ireland in the UK final with joint runners up, Hanna Siribor from Glenlola Collegiate and Niamh Hargan from Lumen Christi College .
Anne Marie Duffy, Examinations Manager at CCEA commented:
“CCEA is delighted to support the Axios ‘A’ Star Awards once again. This initiative plays an important part in highlighting the abundance of talent and skills that young women have to offer the IT industry in Northern Ireland .
I congratulate all the young women being honoured, here today. It is a wonderful achievement to be among the top performing female students in CCEA’s A Level and GCSE ICT. All of you have worked extremely hard and we are very proud of your achievements. Well done to you, your teachers and your schools.”
The girls will travel to the UK final of the Axios ‘A’ Star Awards in London on the 24 November. The event will be hosted by DJ Emma B and inspirational trans-atlantic rower, Debra Searle.
The Axios ‘A’ Star Awards were presented by Will Haire, Permanent Secretary to Department of Education, Northern Ireland , to the top performing female students in CCEA’s A level and GCSE ICT, Tuesday 26 th September 2006 . The award winners were as follows:
CCEA Top female ICT candidates at A level
- Marie-Therese Lee, St Patrick’s Academy, Dungannon
- Donna McDermott, Thornhill College, L’Derry
- Aisling Murray, St Patrick’s Academy Dungannon
- Majella Gregory, Armagh College of Further Education
- Jodie Wilson, St Patrick’s Academy Dungannon
- Claire Morrison, Thornhill College, L’Derry
- Alanna Hunter, Cookstown High School
- Ruth McParland, St Paul ’s High School, Bessbrook
- Stephanie Johnston, Thornhill College, L’Derry
- Laura Irwin, Lumen Christi College, L’Derry
CCEA Top female ICT candidates at GCSE
- Claire McKeveney, Lismore Comprehensive School, Craigavon
- Hanna Siribor, Glenlola Collegiate School, Bangor
- Niamh Hargan, Lumen Christi College, L’Derry
- Emma Louise Sproule, Sullivan Upper, Holywood
- Kim Gilmore, Bloomfield Collegiate, Belfast
- Laura Kennedy, Bloomfield Collegiate, Belfast
- Navdeep Singh, Foyle & Londonderry College
- Antonia O’Kane, Aquinas Grammar School, Belfast
- Johann Trotter, Assumption Grammar School, Ballynahinch
- Edele Gormley, Lumen Christi College, L’Derry
Axios ‘A’ Star Awards
Initiated in 2000, the Axios ‘A’ Star Awards are the only competition to recognise and reward the UK ’s top female computing students.
They are a unique initiative, encouraging young women to study and take up careers in IT and redress the industry’s huge gender imbalance. The Awards promote IT as a dynamic industry with exciting opportunities for females.
Aims and objectives of the ‘A’ Star Awards
- To tackle the IT industry’s gender imbalance by encouraging girls to study computing at school and college, and take up careers in IT
- To raise awareness of the current under-representation of women in IT among private and public sector bodies
- To promote the diverse, exciting range of jobs available in the IT sector
- To promote the IT industry as dynamic, well paid and well suited to the needs which women often have to combine work and family commitments
- To encourage and motivate girls, their parents, teachers and school heads/college principals in order to stimulate greater interest in computing as a career.
Media enquiries to Ruth Maguire on (028) 9026 1216, Mobile 07796947993. E mail rhmaguire@ccea.org.uk
ENDS
Note to Editors
CCEA is the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.
CCEA places learners and those who have a concern for their educational and personal development at the forefront of its thinking. CCEA's mission is:
"To enable the full potential of all learners to be achieved and recognised"
What we do
CCEA is a unique educational body in the UK , bringing together the three areas of curriculum, examinations and assessment.
Advising Government – on what should be taught in Northern Ireland ’s schools and colleges.
Monitoring Standards – ensuring that the qualifications and examinations offered by awarding bodies in Northern Ireland are of an appropriate quality and standard.
Awarding Qualifications
– as Northern Ireland’s leading awarding body we offer a diverse range of qualifications, such as GCSEs, including the new GCSE Double Award specifications in vocational subjects, GCE A and AS levels, Entry Level Qualifications, and Graded Objectives in Modern Languages.
- CCEA also offers a range of Awards and Certificates in Education, Training and Skills (ACETS) targeted at learners who want to get
the knowledge, understanding and skills needed
to hit the ground running in the world of work.
