19-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
City of Glasgow College graduates highlight proud legacy of innovation
Set against the stunning backdrop of Glasgow Cathedral, today's ceremony celebrates the achievements of students graduating from courses spanning Marine Engineering, Marine Electro-Technology, Marine Operations and Nautical Science.
Many have completed a Merchant Navy Cadetship and will now progress into roles at sea or onshore – from Deck Officer to Officer of the Watch, and Chief Mate to Marine Engineer.
These students have not only gained high-level technical qualifications; they have benefited from an educational experience shaped by cutting-edge facilities, exceptional teaching, and close industry collaboration.
They now leave College not only as graduates, but as future leaders of one of the UK's most vital sectors.
As we mark the achievements of today's graduates, we do so in a year of special significance for City of Glasgow College. 2025 marks the 15th anniversary of the College's formation - a bold merger that brought together several legacy institutions to create Scotland's largest college and a global leader in maritime and technological education.
But the College's roots stretch far deeper than the past 15 years.
Its work builds on a distinguished heritage shaped by institutions such as the Glasgow College of Nautical Studies, each with strong traditions of equipping students with the skills to power industry, drive innovation, and navigate the world.
Even further back, the College honours the legacy of Allan Glen's Institute, founded in 1853 on the very site where the City Campus now stands.
Established to provide education for the sons of working-class Glaswegians, Allan Glen's helped fuel Scotland's industrial rise - and shaped generations of scientific and engineering talent. Among its most famous former students is Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the celebrated architect and designer.
That same pioneering spirit lives on today in the College's Maritime Centre of Excellence and world-class STEM facilities across both campuses. City of Glasgow College is proud to train some 40% of the UK's Merchant Navy Officers and to deliver programmes that are helping to solve real-world challenges – from shipbuilding and sustainability to digital innovation and clean energy.
(Image: City of Glasgow College's Riverside Campus, located on the site of the old Nautical College)
In 2025, City of Glasgow College reaffirmed its leadership in maritime education by installing a new suite of state-of-the-art shipping bridge simulators - the most advanced and largest of their kind in Europe.
This technology allows students to train in hyper-realistic scenarios, replicating conditions across the globe - from busy international ports to open-ocean storms and polar environments. These simulators join other exceptional facilities, including Scotland's first 360-degree ship simulation suite and one of the UK's most advanced working ship engines.
These investments ensure that students gain hands-on experience in highly controlled, realistic environments - developing the practical skills, decision-making, and confidence they need to thrive in safety-critical roles.
City of Glasgow College's strength lies in its commitment to preparing students for the industries they will shape. The College works closely with leading employers and the world's leading shipping companies - to ensure that its courses are aligned to the most in-demand skills.
From industry placements and live projects to guest lectures and commercial training environments, students are immersed in real-world contexts.
That's why employers consistently describe City graduates as 'work ready' - equipped not only with technical know-how but the adaptability and professionalism to contribute from day one.
The College's Riverside Campus, located on the site of the old Nautical College, is a hub of innovation in maritime education.
It also offers Scotland's first women-only engineering and construction classes and is one of only a handful of institutions in the UK capable of training students to Chief Engineer and Master Mariner level.
(Image: City of Glasgow College graduates)
Meanwhile, City Campus on Cathedral Street features a vast triple-height library, enterprise centre, rooftop gardens, and Scholar's fine dining restaurant, providing students with a rich and inspiring environment in which to study, collaborate and thrive.
City of Glasgow College's impact reaches far beyond its campuses. Recently, the College was formally presented with the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher & Further Education - the highest national honour available to a UK college or university.
This award recognised the College's transformational research into the dangers of oxygen depletion in enclosed shipboard spaces, a critical issue in the maritime industry. This research is already saving lives across the world's oceans and has influenced new international safety practices.
(Image: City of Glasgow College graduates)
Part of the UK Honours system, the Queen's Anniversary Prizes are awarded every two years for work judged to be of exceptional quality and benefit to wider society.
The award underscores City of Glasgow College's role not just in education, but in shaping policy, improving safety, and supporting global industry.
The College's commitment to sectoral leadership is also reflected in the work of Principal Paul Little, who is the outgoing Chair of the UK Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce. At London International Shipping Week, he launched the landmark report 'A Step Change for UK Shipbuilding Skills' — a blueprint for delivering the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh and ensuring the UK remains competitive in global maritime markets.
This forward-thinking approach ensures that students today are not only job-ready, but future-ready.
Today's graduates join a proud tradition of City of Glasgow College alumni who have gone on to forge exceptional careers across the maritime, STEM, and built environment sectors. Graduation day is a celebration of personal resilience, professional ambition, and shared achievement.
It is also a time to look forward — to the journeys still to come, the challenges still to meet, and the innovations still to lead.
As they set out into the world, City of Glasgow College's 2025 graduates do so with world-class training, global recognition, and the full confidence of an institution committed to their success.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2025
HIGHER NATIONAL CERTIFICATE MARINE ENGINEERING
Calum Allport
Connor Benning
Archie Burke
Ryan Callaghan
Kai Collin
Harry Coupar
Zak Crombie
Erin Skye English
Connor Kyle
Jamie MacIver MacDonald
Lee MacLeod
Mohamed Hussam Mbayed
Ryan Patrick McCann
Sean Alexander McConnell
Scott Murray
Benjamin Sharples
HIGHER NATIONAL DIPLOMA MARINE ENGINEERING
Omar Almutairi
Abdullah Alshaiji
Mohammad Alzayed
Anthony Amedro
John Blackburn
Kyle Bridges
Martin Lachlan Campbell
Megan Connolly
Kerr Dougan
Jack Duncan
Thea Dunn
Robert Fletcher
James Foot
Robert Alexander Forrest
Marc Gazem
Tyler Gillies
Thomas Robert Haddon
MacKenzie Haggerty
James Heaney
Rory Kennedy
Euan Knox
Fraser Lochrie MacGilp
Calum Neil MacMillan
Neil MacMillan
Gary Nicolson
Johnny Nicolson
Alastair Pike
Michael Leonard Poleson
Scott Purves
William Richardson
Calum John Ross
Gary Scott
Kayden Ray Charlie Stewart
Gavin Watt
HIGHER NATIONAL DIPLOMA MARINE ELECTRO-TECHNOLOGY
Jay Galloway
Ciaran Gunn
Benjamin Long
Fergus Alexander MacIntyre
Finlay MacKinnon
Drew Morrison
Gabriel Mundie
Tom Quirk
Willis Tyler Singleton
Kevin Grant Smith
Peter Stirling
Benjamin Ryan Taylor
Jordan Wylie
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARD MARINE MANAGEMENT
Christopher Busuttil
Jacob Cameron
Mitchell Ferguson
David Fleming
John Laing
Alexander John MacInnes
Liam MacKinnon
Ross Morrison
Christopher Reekie
Akib Khalid Aziz Sabri
Rory Sinclair
Oliver Williamson
HIGHER NATIONAL CERTIFICATE NAUTICAL SCIENCE
Thomas Richard Bodley-Scott
Adam Duncan
Matthew Greenwood
Marcus Hudson
Leo Jackson
Finn Thomas Jobson
Jigme Jones
Oliver Lockley
Ailig MacDonald
Christopher MacNeil
Ross Robert Manson
Ruaridh McCuish
Oliver John Rogers
Rowan Salter
Zoe Fraser Speirs
HIGHER NATIONAL CERTIFICATE NAUTICAL SCIENCE (EXPERIENCED SEAFARERS ROUTE)
Sajjad Abbas
Balamurali Krishna Adnala
Chirag Sanjay Ahire
Ajesh Appakunhi
Oluwole Sunday Awe
Devison Antony Baskar
Shivdeep Bawa
Bartwal Vicky Singh Beer Singh
Sumit Bhuin
Mukesh Chauhan
Lara Clabburn
Omkar Vijay Hankare
Adnaan Mohsin Khan
Joni Kumar
Parveen Kumar
Pradeep Singh Kushwaha
Abhijeet Vilas Mahajan
Ajinkya Mane
Mohammed Kaif Talib Moula
Zeeshan Mullaji
Tejas Naidu
Himanshu Vijay Naik
Raneesh Nambithour
Tejwinder Singh Nijjer
Sairaj Pandagale
Aashay Sanjay Paradkar
Yogendra Kumar Parassar
Tinto Rose Poothakuzhiyil Mathai
Andrew Anthony Raj
Arun Ramachandran
Abhey Kumar Rana
Susil Kumar Sahoo
Mohammed Zaid Shaikh
Hem Shankar
Apoorv Mani Sharma
Ayush Sharma
Mukesh Shukla
Amit Pratap Singh
Birbahadur Singh
Sonu Singh
Sonukumar Singh
Mujahid Kasam Solkar
Hiteshkumar Rajeshkumar Waghela
Amar Deep Yadav
ADVANCED DIPLOMA NAUTICAL SCIENCE
Zain Ul Abdeen Abdeein
Muhammad Sharjeel Ahmed
Mr Aryan
Arun Bhardwaj
Parth Sanjay Bhosale
Pratik Parmeshwar Bidve
Manav Ranjeet Singh Bisht
Arnav Chauhan
Badal Dayaram Kannojiya
Shreyash Prashant Dedge
Karlvarshon Delson
Rajdeep Dey
Venkata Chandra Sekhar Rao Dodla
Viveksagar Dummu
Om Vinod Gami
Sahil Santosh Gawade
Jashanpreet Singh Gill
John Santhosh John Britto
Musaif Mubin Karjikar
Abdur Khan
Azlan Khan
Nitin Kumar
Sahaya Abishek Lustin
Gunalan Manivelu
Deep Hrishikesh Mhatre
Shikhar Munikumar
Arjun Nalumakkal Manoj
Avishkar Raju Palmate
Ayush Patel
Sani Patel
Sarthak Sandip Pawar
Joel Dhishon Wilfred Pereira
Jeyasathiyaventhan Petchimuthu
Abhinav Saini
Pratham Pundalika Salian
Omkar Chirag Shah
Sakib Hasnain Shaikh
Daksh Dinesh Shinde
Ronik Rajendra Solanki
Milan Tandel
Dhanush Toppanahalli Suresh
Najeeb Ullah
Raj Umrao
Sujal Verma
Muhammad Zuhair
HIGHER NATIONAL DIPLOMA NAUTICAL SCIENCE
Rory Campbell
Joseph Ronald Ayles
Aaran Ben Brierley
Bernard Griffiths
Benjamin Heagren
Darren Jefferd
Ewen MacLeod
George Penketh-King
Patryk Sawczuk
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARD MARINE OPERATIONS
John Brogan
Ryan Campbell
Louie Donnelly
Jake Gifford
Calum Graham
Douglas Neil Hodgson
Hugo Bruce Hoevelmann
Regina Huttunen
Devin Jeffers
Rebecca Lewer
Finn Patrick MacDonald
Alanna MacKenzie
Harry Manning
Elle McCue
Alice McDonald
Calum Finlay McGarvey
David Robertson
William Sabet
CHIEF MATE/MASTER INC ADVANCED DIPLOMA NAUTICAL SCIENCE
Joe Alenstien Fdo Anto Fernando
Jesuraj Antonysamy
Ravi Kant Baghel
Sumesh Bishnoi
Lincoln Cardoz
Ajay Carvalho
Avinash Chand
Sabith Chellath Kottiyodan
Nitin Cheruvalappil Puthiyedath
Rylan Joseph Cordeiro
Mr Divyanshu
Shaikh Mohsin Elahi Gaffar
Anshu Johnson
Sinto Jose
Xavier Berdin Joseph Derick
Fayyaz Ali Juvale
Shishir Kanaujia
Jensher Kanjiraparambil Joy
Akshay Khare
Shalabh Kishore
Arun Kollarath George
Sarin Krishnan
Mario Lopes
Manish Mehar Singh Mahal
Agnel Maria Benedict
Arafath Mohammed
Prasanna Mohite
Agnel Sharan Fernando Nicholas Fernando
Ashish Omprakash Pal
Saurabh Shashikumar Paliwal
Akarshan Prashar
Sumit Punj
Dnyaneshwar Namdeo Ransing
Sudeep Rastogi
Tusharendra Sharma
Ajay Singh
Shaurya Deep Singh
Deepak Singh
Ritesh Kumar Singh
Don Prabath Lakmal Wickramasekara
Chandan Yadav
Himanshu Yadav
Jay Kumar Lolarakh Yadav
CHIEF MATE/MASTER INC HIGHER NATIONAL DIPLOMA NAUTICAL SCIENCE
Iain Bainbridge
Miebi Clement
Dylan James Coolahan
Lewis Currie
Jay Gibson
Abdurrashid Ibrahim
Atul Joshi
Patrick Kane
Sean Jarrad Knight
Harry MacArthur
David James MacLean
Calum MacPhee
James McIntyre
Fionn McKee
Joao Da Cruz Munto
Opeyemi Damilola Ojutiku
Jeremiah Olajumoke
Brandon Shaun Fredrick Payne
Alan Risk
Robert Stanger
John Leslie Sutherland
Oliver Walton-Sales
PRIZES
Best Practical Marine Engineer
Tyler Gillies
Best Progress Award Engineering/ETO
Benjamin Long
Best Progress Award in Nautical Science
Om Vinod Gami
Faculty Recognition Award Engineering
James Heaney
Faculty Recognition Award Nautical Studies
Bernard Griffiths
Clyde Marine Training Award Deck Cadet of the Year
Regina Huttunen
Clyde Marine Training Award Engineering Cadet of the Year
Mitchell, Ferguson
Merchant Navy Association Glasgow Prize
Scott Murray
Betsy Miller Award
Rebecca Lewer
The Salvesen Trust
Prize
Willis Tyler Singleton
Northern Lighthouse Board Prize – Engineering Cadet of the Year
Christopher Busuttil
Northern Lighthouse Board Prize – Deck Cadet of the Year
John Brogan
This article was brought to you in association with City of Glasgow College