FIFE College has been shortlisted for two prestigious College Development Network (CDN) awards for unique projects which tackle gender imbalance and pioneer new hybrid digital technologies in the energy sector.

And the College's work with Shell at Mossmorran has helped it to be shortlisted.

The College’s Faculty of Engineering, Energy and Mathematics put forward nominations for two categories in this year’s CDN Awards which recognise the talent, skills and achievements of colleges, their staff and learners.

The College’s Immersive Hybrid Reality Lab, which was launched in June, has been shortlisted for the Digital Education Category, while its work with Shell and Fife Council, to encourage woman in to engineering, ‘Girls in Energy’, has been shortlisted for the Developing a Regional Curriculum category.

Director of the Faculty, Nicky Inglis, was delighted to hear that the two nominations have been shortlisted and said: “Fife College recognises the important role it plays in creating solutions to the current lack of STEM skills and gender imbalance issues facing the engineering sector. These issues have been highlighted by the Scottish Government and also employers within the industry.

“In recognition of this we have introduced a variety of learner-focused programmes to help meet government and employer demands.

“The CDN Awards provide a valuable opportunity to celebrate the innovation taking place in colleges across the country and we are delighted that two of these fantastic programmes have been shortlisted."

Nicky added: "Projects such as these help us to widen opportunities for our students to ensure they benefit from the latest skills that mirror the needs of industry and in turn improve the Scottish economy.”

The CDN Awards ceremony takes place on November 23 at the Hilton in Glasgow.

Our picture shows Girls in Energy at Shell: Female school pupils from Fife, including those at Lochgelly and Beath High Schools, have shown they’ve got what it takes to follow a career in energy after successfully completing a national training programme run by Shell UK and supported by Fife College and Fife Council.