Northern Regional College is celebrating success at the 2026 OCN NI Learning Endeavour Awards, after learner Grace Montgomery was named Health & Well-being Learner of the Year. The College also picked up multiple highly commended accolades including Provider of the Year.

The awards bring together learners, teachers, tutors and education providers from across Northern Ireland to celebrate achievement, resilience and success in learning.

Northern Regional College learner Grace Montgomery was named Health & Well-being Learner of the Year, recognising her outstanding commitment, progress and achievements.

The College also received further recognition on the day, with Alex Erdis named Highly Commended in the Further Education Learner of the Year category, Daniel Mitchell named Highly Commended in the Essential Skills Learner of the Year category, and Northern Regional College named Highly Commended in the Provider of the Year category.

Now in its eighth year, the OCN NI Learning Endeavour Awards celebrate the achievements of learners and centres across Northern Ireland, shining a spotlight on the transformative impact of education and training.

The 2026 awards attracted a record number of nominations, with more than 160 submissions received across nine categories. A total of 37 finalists were recognised as winners or highly commended, sharing £14,500 in bursaries to support their continued educational and professional development.

Mel Higgins, Principal and Chief Executive of Northern Regional College, said:

“We are incredibly proud of Grace, Alex and Daniel, and of the wider College community, following our success at this year’s OCN NI Learning Endeavour Awards.

“Grace being named Health & Well-being Learner of the Year is a fantastic achievement and a reflection of her hard work, determination and commitment to learning. We are also delighted to see Alex and Daniel recognised as highly commended in their individual categories.

“To be highly commended for Provider of the Year is also a very special recognition for Northern Regional College. It reflects the dedication of our staff, the ambition of our learners and the strong culture of support that exists across the College.

“At Northern Regional College, we are passionate about creating opportunities, removing barriers and helping learners build the confidence, skills and qualifications they need to progress. These awards are a wonderful celebration of that work and the life-changing impact of education.”

Martin Flynn, Chief Executive of OCN NI, said the awards highlighted the transformative power of education and the commitment shown by learners and centres across Northern Ireland.

Martin said, “Every nominee and award recipient should be immensely proud of their success.”

The awards ceremony was hosted by Denise Watson and also featured a live musical performance from Belfast-based singer-songwriter and OCN learner Anna Wright, alongside a special guest appearance from Northern Ireland actor Martin McCann, who shared his own story of resilience, determination and ambition.

Northern Regional College congratulates Grace, Alex and Daniel on their achievements and extends its congratulations to all winners, highly commended recipients and finalists recognised at the 2026 OCN NI Learning Endeavour Awards.