Hugh McCafferty, a Regional Delivery Manager for CITB-ConstructionSkills, has been honoured at this year’s Scottish ‘Education Oscars’, the Scottish Qualifications Authority’s Star Awards.

Hugh, from Balloch, West Dunbartonshire, has been working with the Sector Skills Council and Industry Training Board for 23 years, and was awarded the SQA Fellowship – the most prestigious prize handed out at the annual ceremony. The Fellowship is presented to individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to learning, education and training.

Speaking about the achievement, Hugh said: “It’s a huge honour to receive the SQA Fellowship. Throughout my career I’ve been lucky enough to work in partnership with some fantastic people in Scottish Federations and businesses to help bring through the next generation of workers.

“I’m looking forward to continuing this work to help the Scottish construction industry meet its recruitment challenge.”

Dr Janet Brown, SQA Chief Executive, added: “I’m delighted to welcome Hugh McCafferty to the Fellowship of SQA. Hugh generously gives much of his time to support education and training.

“He is a founding member of the Advisory Council which was established to give the Board access to relevant and pertinent stakeholders’ views, and he is a member of the Qualifications Committee which advises the Board on all issues related to our wide qualifications portfolio.”

Hugh started as a contractor in the industry as part of his family’s business, and stayed in this role for 20 years. He later went on to join CITB-ConstructionSkills in 1987 as a Training Advisor, before working his way up to Group Training Advisor and then Area Manager.

In his current role, Hugh is responsible for the day to day operations of the Apprenticeship and Advisory Services for the CITB-ConstructionSkills Board. He oversees the major projects taking place in Southern Scotland and ensures they are completed on time and to the required quality. He also engages CITB-ConstructionSkills’ federations and their employers to facilitate projects.

Mark Farrar, Chief Executive of CITB-ConstructionSkills, said: “Hugh has been a stalwart of our organisation for more than two decades. He embodies everything that we stand for – to work in partnership with the industry to bring through a high quality future workforce. Our mission is to generate the right skills, in the right place, at the right time across Scotland, and Hugh is at the forefront of this work.

“We are absolutely thrilled that Hugh’s contribution to the Scottish Construction and Built Environment sector has been recognised by the SQA.”

The SQA Star Awards, which were presented at the Glasgow Science Centre on 5 November, celebrate the achievements and commitment of learners, teachers, lecturers, schools, colleges, training providers and businesses across Scotland and around the world.

The ceremony was hosted by broadcaster and journalist Kaye Adams and was supported by a raft of sponsors, including the Scottish Government, UK Skills, CBI Scotland, Learning & Teaching Scotland, and the Scottish Credit & Qualifications Framework Partnership.