--- title: "Teen host and student photographer star at Skills Jersey awards" url: https://www.nsfw.info/teen-host-student-photographer-skills-jersey-awards/ published: 2026-11-10T10:30:49+00:00 modified: 2026-11-10T10:30:49+00:00 author: "Chief Editor" categories: ["Events"] image: https://www.nsfw.info/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/teen-host-student-photographer-skills-jersey-awards-1024x572.webp summary: "A 16-year-old host and 15-year-old photographer helped run the second Skills Jersey Recognition Awards at the Radisson Blu Hotel, where students, schools and em" publisher: NSFW (https://www.nsfw.info) --- # Teen host and student photographer star at Skills Jersey awards **In brief:** More than 130 guests gathered at the Radisson Blu Hotel for the second annual Skills Jersey Recognition Awards, honouring young people, schools and employers for their contributions to education and career development across the island. Individual winners included students from Haute Vallée and Hautlieu, while Jersey Heritage, Le Rocquier School and St Lawrence Primary School were among the organisations recognised. ## A Night to Celebrate Jersey’s Future Workforce Jersey’s brightest young talents and the organisations backing them stepped into the spotlight last week, as the Skills Jersey Recognition Awards returned for its second year. The ceremony, held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, drew more than 130 guests and shone a well-deserved light on the islanders quietly doing the hard work of building a skilled, confident and capable next generation. Among the individual honourees, Kim Hughes of Haute Vallée School took home the Outstanding Student Achievement Award, recognised for an exceptional Trident work placement with local company Absolute Adventures. Mikaela Vautier was named Mentee of the Year, Isabella Burley received the Outstanding Individual Contribution Award for Inspiring the Future, and James Minihane was presented with the Lifelong Learning Award. The awards also acknowledged the institutional backbone behind these achievements. Jersey Heritage received the Employer Engagement Award for its commitment to supporting young people through careers activities and work-based opportunities. Le Rocquier School was presented with the School Engagement Award for its partnership with Skills Jersey, and St Lawrence Primary School took the Outstanding School Contribution Award for encouraging its pupils to think seriously about their future careers. ## Young Talent Both on Stage and Behind the Lens The evening itself was something of a showcase for the very values it was celebrating. Two Hautlieu students stepped up to make the event happen: Lexie Brooks, aged 16, served as host for the evening, while Morgan Benander, 15, took on the role of official photographer. Guests were also welcomed with performances from Jersey Music Service students and local musicians, giving the ceremony a distinctly homegrown feel from start to finish. Education Minister Catherine Curtis said the awards “celebrate the people and organisations helping Islanders develop their talents, build aspirations and achieve success,” adding that it was “inspiring to see the commitment shown by schools, employers, mentors and young people across Jersey.” Stuart Penn, head of Skills Jersey, echoed the sentiment, noting that the awards “recognise those going above and beyond to support learning, skills and career development,” and that their efforts are “making a real difference to young people and helping build a stronger future workforce for Jersey.” ## Why This Matters Beyond the Ceremony It is easy to dismiss awards evenings as self-congratulatory affairs, but there is something genuinely substantive happening here. Jersey, like many small jurisdictions, faces a persistent challenge in retaining and developing local talent. When schools, employers and mentors invest in young people at this level, it pays dividends far beyond any individual career: it keeps skills on the island, reduces dependence on imported labour and builds the kind of community cohesion that no government policy can manufacture from the top down. The involvement of organisations such as Jersey Heritage and St Lawrence Primary School, alongside private employers like Absolute Adventures, also illustrates that this is not purely a public-sector endeavour. That breadth of engagement is exactly the sort of thing worth celebrating. ## The NSFW Perspective There is something quietly encouraging about an awards ceremony where the host is a 16-year-old and the photographer is 15. No consultants, no rebranding exercise, no six-figure strategy document: just young islanders getting on with it. If only every initiative involving Jersey’s young people were this straightforward. The second annual Skills Jersey Recognition Awards may not make headlines the way a planning row or a States debate does, but it is precisely the kind of unglamorous, ground-level work that actually shapes what Jersey looks like in twenty years’ time. More of this, please. *Source: [Jersey Evening Post](https://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2026/11/10/islanders-and-local-organisations-celebrated-at-skills-jersey-awards)*