Update

THE L ATEST NEWS FROM AROUND YOUR COLLEGE

UPDATE MARCH 2017

Engineering staff and students at the new Advanced Engineering Centre launch event in Hangar 1. See page 03 for more.

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Principal update Corporation news Bedford & Kempston campus news Shuttleworth College news The Bedford Sixth Form news BCS news Cross-College news People news Staff Social Group news

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BEDFORDCOLLEGE SHUT TLEWORTHCOLL BEDFORDSIX THFORM If you have any news to be included in the next issue of Update please email details and an image if possible to ttebbutt@bedford.ac.uk

by Wednesday 15 March.

Shuttleworth College Open Day Saturday 11 March 2017 9.30am-12.30pm Shuttleworth College Bedford College Open Day and Taster Event Wednesday 15 March 2017 5.00pm-8.00pm Bedford College The Bedford Sixth Form Open Day Saturday 25 March 2017 10.00am-12.30pm The Bedford Sixth Form

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It was good to see everyone at the recent staff meetings.

I hope the information shared from the Area Review process demonstrated how much we have achieved in the last decade, and the strong position we are in compared to others.

PRINCIPAL UPDATE BIG PICTURE, SMALL PICTURE You can follow Ian on Twitter @ipryce

CORPORATION NEWS

While that gives us a degree of security the staff survey comments show we need to do much more to improve the day-to-day experience. The age of our buildings, some of our processes, and the ever-expanding number of external initiatives and priorities mean we face annoying frustrations, disruption, cold offices or near-impossible deadlines. The Directors have made dealing with some of these things a key priority for 2017 but we need your help.

At our meetings the VPs said we would focus on getting things “Right First Time”, eliminating activity, and looking to simplify or technologise some activity.

We would really like to hear from you about the small changes that would make a big difference. We are already committed to looking at all the errors we make with our data (which are always subsequently corrected) to ensure we change practice to get things right first time, because we

COMPUTER SAYS YES!

After the success of staff member Ruth Tippell in winning Employee of the Year at the Bedfordshire Business Excellence Awards it is wonderful to see Judith Larsen from the same team awarded the TES Award for Teacher of the Year. It is one of the most coveted of the TES awards so probably the hardest to win. More information on Judith’s win on page 04.

The Corporation has commenced the spring term with an early Steering Group meeting around the Area Review process and the potential strategic options.

A Corporation development day took place on 25 January to discuss these issues further. The Student Executive also met the corporation members over lunch.

Student Governor appointments for Azizi Taylor and Janis Cirss were formally endorsed in the December Corporation meeting and the Corporation formally recorded their thanks to Doreen Danyki Killick who resigned in September 2016.

RECRUITMENT

The College relies on the dedication and time commitment of its corporation members, a number of which have served the College in unremunerated roles for a significant number of years. There is an ongoing need to recruit talented individuals to both the Corporation and to the boards of its subsidiaries and associated undertakings. The opportunities provided will enable those individuals to add value to the College but also to gain skills and board experience that will enhance their own careers.

UPDATE staff magazine

know this is a frustration for both the Data team and the curriculum areas. But I am sure there will be other things we could fix. When I first came to the College it was always a lottery whether the car park barrier worked (a small but very frustrating thing at the start of your day). There must be current examples like this. Let’s make 2017 a year where we enjoy our big picture successes but fix the small picture issues too. You can email me or any Executive member with your examples.

Linda Hockey, the current Chair of the Corporation will end her term of office in July after more than 10 years on the corporation. The Corporation has determined that the recruitment process for a new Chair should extend to external as well as internal candidates. The advert, role description and person specification has been posted on the College website this week and circulated on LinkedIn and other sites. If you know anyone who might be interested in the role of Chair and who has the relevant skills please bring the advert to their attention. Whether it is for the role of Chair, a corporation member or as a nonexecutive director of a Bedford College company the Clerk will be happy to provide any information.

If you have any questions about the Corporation or any of the opportunities it provides please feel free to contact the Clerk to the Corporation; Rachel Nicol rnicol@ bedford.ac.uk (tel. 01234 291003) or one of your staff governors, Jane Dudeney and Charlie Whewell.

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On 9 February 2017 Bedford College unveiled details of its new £5.2 million Advanced Engineering Centre.

Oskar Kutyla addressing the audience.

The unveiling took place at a very exclusive venue - the iconic Hangar 1 at Cardington Airfield, currently home to Airlander 10, the advanced new aircraft being re-designed

by Hybrid Air Vehicles. The event was by invitation only and the guest list contained some of the most prominent business leaders from local and national engineering and building companies in the region.

Students and staff from the College showcased current work including robotics, electronics, sustainable building and SMART houses. They also took the opportunity to discuss the future of engineering with the guests and why it is essential that the College invests in the new state-of-the-art Advanced Engineering Centre.

BEDFORD & KEMPSTON CAMPUS NEWS THE FUTURE OF ENGINEERING IN BEDFORDSHIRE UNVEILED

To reflect the structure and magnificence of Airlander 10, guests were first treated to presentations in a space-age inflatable dome, which had been erected inside the vast hangar. During the presentations three current students spoke with passion about why they had chosen to study for a career in engineering and how Bedford College was supporting that choice. Many of the guests were moved by their honest and frank talks about their personal journey and their dreams for the future.

The three students who made presentations to the audience at the Advanced Engineering Centre launch were: Toby Hunt of Flitwick, who joined Bedford College one day a week aged 14 and is now an Assistant Project Manager for Princebuild Ltd; Manisha Ahmead, who is taking an engineering BTEC after passing A-Levels at Biddenham Upper, and Engineering Student of the Year 2016 Oskar Kutyla of Luton who aspires to aeronautics and space engineering.

The new Advanced Engineering Centre will be built on the College’s well established riverside campus in the heart of Bedford. The Centre will house newer, lighter, analytical equipment, BIM Software and robotics. The Centre will allow students to move through to the higher engineering and degree level training essential in today’s manufacturing and civil engineering markets.

See the walk through video here.

Students Toby Hunt, Manisha Ahmead and Oskar Kutyla.

March 2017

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SPRINGBOARD FUTURE CHEF COMPETITION

JUDITH IS UK TOP TEACHER Judith Larsen, from Computing, has won Teacher of the Year at the annual TES FE Awards.

During her time at the College, Judith has overseen a 220% increase in enrolments on the HNC/HND Computing Systems Development course, as well as an impressive rise in the pass rate.

The judges felt Judith’s entry stood out in a strong field because of her “passion and dedication”. For example, she set up regional heats for WorldSkills in IT at Bedford College, and six of her students were selected to take part in a showcase event at the WorldSkills UK competition in 2015. One student, Oliver Davis, won gold and a chance to represent the UK at WorldSkills Abu Dhabi in 2017. Last year, Judith organised a progression event for learners, which involved more than 30 local employers, as well as apprenticeship and higher education providers.

Judith’s victory was witnessed by over 600 people, gathered to celebrate the sector’s achievements, at the prestigious awards ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London, on Friday 24 February.

Other awards at the glittering, black-tie event, hosted by comedian Rob Beckett, included prizes for the FE Leader of the Year, College of the Year and Training Provider of the Year. Judith’s award was presented by Dame Asha Khemka, Principal and Chief Executive of West Nottinghamshire College.

Judith featured with Rob Beckett and Dame Asha Khema UPDATE staff magazine

Eight students competed in the latest round of the competition in January, cooking a hot main course and hot or cold dessert – from Queensbury Academy, Castle Newnham School, Harlington Upper School, and Goldington Academy.

Faith was runner up and Olatunde was the winner, both from Queensbury Academy which was the first year of this school competing. Olatunde will now be coached by judge Darren Curson from Luton Hoo Hotel before going forward to the Regional Finals which are being held at the College.

ESOL VISIT

Our full-time ESOL students recently visited the Higgins Art Gallery & Museum to find out more about local (and not so local) history as part of their enrichment programme.

They enjoyed the visit very much and the museum staff were so impressed with the students that they asked them to write some statements for the museum’s blog.

You can view what they had to say here.

BEAUTY STUDENTS TRAINING DAY

The Level 3 Beauty Therapy students went to Dermalogica at St Ives on 13 January for the annual student Partnership Training Day. The day comprised of hands on training with the extended range of products, facials on peers, product training and a quiz at the end with an exciting prize of body products.

They managed to not get stuck in the ‘heavy snow’ and had a really good day.

Students at St Ives.

BREAK THE STIGMA VISIT

Ben Salmons from the NHS campaign “Let’s Be Open About Mental Health to Break The Stigma” came to visit our Health & Social Care Level 3 students as part of their psychology unit. The campaign was created to help start conversations about mental health, raise awareness and to show how the stigma surrounding mental health impacts on those experiencing mental health difficulties. Students were able to write their own support messages as part of the campaign. You can find out more about the campaign here.

Students showing their support messages.

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CONSTRUCTION STUDENTS VISIT CLOPHILL

A number of HNC Construction students celebrated completing their course by visiting the nearby Clophill Church and Eco lodges. Alison Bradbury (Chief Operating Officer of the Clophill Heritage Trust) kindly gave up her time to provide a tour of the site and discuss the numerous sustainable elements of the project. This was a fitting visit as the students had been undertaking a module which included developing and renovating a similar rural site and one of the learners had used the Clophill project within his Level 3 course. For more information click here.

MARVELLOUS MARBS!

Travel & Tourism did what they do best and went on their annual residential trip to Marbella and Gibraltar.

The 1st and 2nd Year Level 3 students were ready for a 4.00am departure which mirrors employment as Cabin Crew. The trip to Stansted was smooth and the easyJet flight to Malaga went without a hitch.

Once safely in Puerto Banus, students researched the area’s high end shops, planned which yacht they would buy in the marina and sampled the ice cream. After freshening up, we headed out again to the Hard Rock café for our evening meal. By 10.00pm it was safe to say most students were asleep!

The following morning, we left the PYR Marbella and headed to Gibraltar. Border

control gave an insight into local life and a comparison to previous border checks. We took a 20 minute stroll through Gibraltar town to the Cable Cars where we ascended to see the monkeys. The students were excited to see them in their natural habitat and Millie made one friend in particular!

After making our way back done for lunch (and not looking at the drop below us!) we met our guides at the Dolphin Safari.

Students braved the drizzle and saw common dolphins and bottle nose wild dolphins swimming alongside the boats in the bay.

It was finally time to wave goodbye to Gibraltar and make our way home. Safe to say, our students have said this was ‘the best trip ever!’

Construction students at Clophill.

BACK AT THE FARM

Whilst the Level 3 students were embracing Europe, our Level 1 & 2 Travel & Tourism students visited Shuttleworth College for a tour of the Animal Department to aid with their Marketing and Visitor Attraction units.

Carl Groombridge led our students through a morning of meeting animals and understanding what Shuttleworth has to offer. Feedback from the students was very positive with many not realising what was on their doorstep.

CLIMBING WITH THE STARS!

In early January the Outdoor Education second years went to Pinnacle Climbing Centre in Northampton.

As part of their course they are learning how to climb, including advanced skills such as lead climbing so they can work towards their Climbing Wall Award training on the path to becoming an Instructor. However on this occasion it wasn’t just them at the climbing wall, they found that the Northampton Saints rugby team were also there! They were climbing alongside star players such as Courtney Lawes, George North and Tom Wood, all of which play in the England and Wales 1st teams and were getting ready for the Six Nations!

Monkeys in Gibraltar!

SHUTTLEWORTH COLLEGE NEWS Students with Courtney Lawes.

March 2017

06 Animal Centre team at ZSL Whipsnade.

ANIMAL CENTRE STAFF BEHIND THE SCENES VISIT TO WHIPSNADE ZOO

FROM CHIMPS TO ELEPHANT TRAINING!

Discussion with key staff about primate enrichment inside the chimpanzee house.

The Animal Centre team recently visited the world renowned ZSL Whipsnade Zoo to view various modern training methods, used with a wide variety of species for maintaining high welfare standards. The Animal Centre team has been working closely with Whipsnade as an industry link, setting standards of animal welfare and management as a core part of its daily work. Shuttleworth Animal Centre staff had a very informative day liaising with key staff members, giving them the opportunity to share ideas and discuss protocol that

led to training opportunities within the educational environment. The team had a unique opportunity to discuss training and husbandry methods of ‘mega mammals ranging from chimpanzees to elephants’ within a zoological setting. They also had the opportunity of visiting the workings of the butterfly biome which also houses a very impressive dwarf crocodile exhibit.

This gave the team the chance to view a quality immersive exhibit (living classroom potential!) and how the potentially dangerous crocodilians are managed and trained with a zero contact approach.

THE BEDFORD SIXTH FORM NEWS Philosophy students recently went on an enrichment trip to the ancient city of Rome.

Not only was this of interest to them but it was a great insight into the new course starting in September.

Students will have the opportunity to study ‘Classical Civilisation’ at A-Level, which includes the study of the languages, culture and history of ancient Greek and Roman civilisations.

They will study a range of topics within the Classical Civilisation curriculum with a focus on art, architecture, archaeology and literature.

Students in Rome.

UPDATE staff magazine

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BCS NEWS FLYING START TO 2017 FOR THE GRAND HALL The Grand Hall Team are celebrating following a great start to the year with a hugely successful Wedding Fair on Sunday 8 January.

The Wedding Fair was to showcase the stunning Grand Hall and involved 15 selected local suppliers including George James Bridal and Abraxus Photography.

Over 150 visitors streamed through the doors in just four hours, with many reserving dates for weddings and parties in The Grand Hall and enjoying the fabulous food from the fish and chip van parked outside! The Grand Hall allows people to bring in their own caterers for their celebrations and therefore tailor make their special day.

The Grand Hall.

FANTASTIC FRIENDS AND FAMILY DISCOUNT

Good news - Bedford College staff, their friends and family can benefit from a substantial 20% discount on hire of The Grand Hall and there are still some dates available for this summer! Visit www. thegrandhall.co.uk call 5783 or email weddings@thegrandhall.co.uk for more information.

This discount also extends to fitness classes, public swimming and pay as you go gym at Trinity Arts and Leisure, so there is no excuse not to keep fit! Visit www. trinityleisure.co.uk, email enquiries@ trinityleisure.co.uk or call 5783 for more information. Discounts are available on selected Venue Hub facilities, click here. Or email bookings@bedfordcollegeservices. co.uk or call 5783 to learn more.

CROSS COLLEGE NEWS The College has many cross-college groups meeting on a regular basis so there will now be an update from the groups after each meeting to pass on any relevant information.

ACHIEVEMENTS CEREMONY

This group organises the Achievements Ceremony in November each year. The next meeting is being held on 23 March to discuss this year’s plans and the event itself is on 30 November 2017.

For more information please contact Grace Kennedy at gkennedy@bedford.ac.uk

ACCOMMODATION

The Accommodation group deals with the updating and changes to the buildings on all sites. Following a recent meeting the

group have proposed plans for upgrades of various areas and will be able to share the details in the next issue.

ADVANCED ENGINEERING CENTRE

The purpose of the Steering Group is to ensure that all project plans for the new Advanced Engineering Centre run to plan, including finances and sponsorship where appropriate. The group is chaired by the Finance Director and has representatives from estates, engineering, the executive committee, marketing and the governors.

The group meets once a month to discuss progress and set actions for the following month to ensure the project meets its deadlines. The Steering Group recently over-saw the event at Hangar 1, Cardington Airfield which brought together business leaders from the local area and beyond to showcase engineering at the College and the plans for the new building.

For further information please contact Karen Rabjohn at krabjohn@bedford.ac.uk

APPRENTICESHIPS

This group is working to provide closer links between apprentice employers and

the College. The group is currently assisting employers with the new apprenticeship levy that comes into force in April 2017. They are also working on ways to give apprentices the opportunity to be involved in the whole student experience, giving them a more active role within the College’s student government and other student groups.

For more information please contact Trudie Tebbutt at ttebbutt@bedford.ac.uk

CUSTOMER SERVICE

The Customer Service group was established to assess and improve service around the College. Following their administration of staff, employer, HE and apprentice surveys the group has been working hard to implement suggested improvements across the sites for the benefit of all.

The group has recently updated our Customer Charter and strategy, both of which are available on the staff intranet, in the Customer Service area of the Crosscollege section. The feedback received from the Food for Thought sessions last year has been shared with the staff and is being March 2017

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actioned throughout the year. Progress will be shared with everyone through this magazine.

202 members of staff have participated in the Customer Service training and over 100 people are booked on to future sessions. The group aims for all staff members to receive training by the end of the year.

For more information please contact Trudie Tebbutt at ttebbutt@bedford.ac.uk

EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY

The group is chaired by the College Principal and includes members from across the College sites and functions.

Meetings take place on a termly basis. The group advises the College Executive on the promotion of equality and diversity in the College, participates in the implementation of the Single Equality Scheme Action Plan and encourages positive action to address identified barriers and equality gaps. The group members act as champions for inclusion and diversity in their area of work.

Anastassia also manages the Virtual Staff Focus Group which was set up to assist the Equality and Diversity Group to engage with a broad range of staff on relevant topics, provide feedback via brief surveys, and help raise awareness of issues affecting staff and students in order to inform further engagement and proposals for change.

The group does not meet in person and members are invited to complete a short online survey (anonymous) on a topic each term. The group membership is flexible and members can opt out of completing a specific survey.

For more information or if you would like to join either group, please contact Anastassia Parsons at anparsons@bedford.ac.uk

HIGHER EDUCATION

The HE Steering Group meets three to four times a year and is made up of a team of staff who have responsibility for aspects of HE, and at least one student representative.

Examiner reports, Student Services and the most important thing, feedback from the students. Updates on HE partnerships are also discussed.

helping identify and control foreseeable hazards and risks to all.

An annual report is written and this is submitted to and scrutinised by the Corporation’s Quality Standards Committee.

For more information please contact Emma Charnley at echarnley@bedford.ac.uk

For more information please contact Pat Crowe at pcrowe@bedford.ac.uk

STAFF INTRANET

OPEN DAYS

As you may all be aware, the format of the Bedford College Open Days has changed for 2016/17.

A Working Group has been set up, with the main objective to take the Open Days forward and emphasise the whole College responsibility and implement improvements agreed at Executive. In summary these were: • Moving subject area stands closer to the facilities for each department – (this includes Motor Vehicle and Gas & Plumbing located at Kempston Campus and Hair & Beauty located at Brooks)

For more information or if you would like to join the group, please contact Trudie Tebbutt at ttebbutt@bedford.ac.uk

• Expectation that all staff work at each event • Each programme area to recruit a group of students for tours, demonstrations and questions • Piloting taster sessions at the March Open Day • Holding a Higher Education focused Open Day in June The general consensus so far from staff and visitors is that the new format has been working well so a big thank you to everyone involved.

Our January 2017 Open Day events saw a 9% increase at Bedford College, an 8% increase at Shuttleworth College and a 29% increase at The Bedford Sixth Form on this time last year.

SAFETY COMMITTEE

UPDATE staff magazine

The group originally came in to being after feedback from the staff survey concerning dissatisfaction with the existing intranet.

The group then examined different products based on the needs of the staff and the College as a whole. Their recommendation was then presented to the Executive for approval and, following approval, the group will now work together to manage the implementation of an accessible and easy to use intranet for everyone.

• Lessons to finish early on the days of the Open Days to allow staff and students to prepare their areas for the event

For more information please contact Dean Constant at dconstant@bedford.ac.uk

The remit of the group is to approve all HE matters relating to quality, new courses, the annual Self Evaluation Document, as well as to identify and develop new opportunities.

At each meeting various reports are received from the Directorates including External

This group meets once a term, with the next meeting taking place on 7 June 2017.

We have an established Safety Committee which for many years has supported the College in the development of high standards of health, safety and welfare.

This committees’ membership reflects our diverse nature of learning and working environments. It is a legal body set up in line with requirements of the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 forming an integral part of our effective management approach

CROSS-COLLEGE GROUPS Current groups: Achievements Ceremony Chair: Grace Kennedy Accommodation Chair: Pat Jones Advanced Engineering Centre Chair: Mike Johnston Apprenticeships Chair: Mike Johnston Customer Service Chair: Sarah Baxter Equality and Diversity Chair: Ian Pryce Higher Education Chair: Georgina Ager Open Days Chair: Dean Constant Safeguarding Chair: Em Lowe Safety Committee Chair: Elizabeth Nash Staff Intranet Chair: Sarah Baxter If you are a member of a group that is not listed please email update@ bedford.ac.uk for inclusion.

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TIM KENNEDY

14 JULY 1954 – 23 FEBRUARY 2017

Tim was a well respected member of our Maintenance team and his unexpected death has deeply saddened his colleagues.

Tim was employed at Bedford College from 2004 to 2007 as a Maintenance Electrician. Attracted by the opportunities in the private sector, he left us to take up other work but then returned in late 2012 to the Maintenance team as a Maintenance Technician Electrician. Tim’s work took him to many different parts of the College

CUSTOMER CARE CHARTER

As you will be aware from your recent customer service training, the Customer Service group has spent time looking at survey responses and suggestions from employers, students and staff at the College to assist in the creation of the Customer Care Charter.

We would like to make sure that everyone is aware of the contents of the Charter and that all staff commit to providing the same level of service to our customers, both internally and externally.

The excerpt below shows a brief outline of the Charter but to see it in full please click here.

We are committed to continuously improving the standards of service we offer to all our customers.

We are committed to: • Treating you with honesty, openness and respect in line with our College values

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & QUALITY

and many people will remember his quiet and methodical approach to diagnosing problems and then fixing those services which we take for granted. Tim was also famous for his love of early morning burnt toast which at his special request was always served this way.

Tim’s wife Wendy, son Sean, daughter Heather and his much loved grandchildren, Kelsie and Caiden, are in our thoughts at this time.

• Providing you with a consistent, coordinated and proactive service • Responding to your communications with us quickly and effectively • Providing you with access to clear and accurate information, advice and guidance • Providing opportunities for you to easily give us feedback • Continuously improving our service to you.

NAME THE INTRANET

The College is currently working on launching a new staff intranet in July 2017.

In light of this we would like to ask everyone to submit any ideas they have for the name to Trudie Tebbutt at ttebbutt@bedford.ac.uk by 15 March 2017.

The ideas will then be shortlisted and a winner chosen by the staff intranet working group. The winner will be announced in the April edition of Update.

PLATFORM FORUM

UPCOMING MEETINGS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Platform is a forum for all members of staff to discuss topics with the College Principal, Ian Pryce.

• Thursday 20 April 2017 3.30pm-5.00pm, Tower Board • Thursday 8 June 2017 3.30pm-5.00pm, Tower Board

If you have any questions or feedback prior to the next meeting please contact Em Lowe at elowe@bedford.ac.uk or on 5331.

STAFF SOCIAL GROUP NEWS Birmingham Christmas market, Panto, several theatre trips, cinema event, rugby games as well as the popular staff social event.

The Staff Social group has plenty more events planned for the upcoming months including a Coffee morning in aid of Sue Ryder, St John’s Hospice.

Since the start of the academic year there have been events such as a trip to

Look out for full event details in Update and on the Staff Intranet pages.

PEOPLE NEWS STARTERS AND LEAVERS

Since we last reported there have been a number of changes in staff We have said goodbye to: Karen Smith Anne-Marie Margaret Dentith Horrocks Connor Lennox Sue Timbers Yvette ThompsonPaul Wixcey Phillips Dawn James Daniela Ruggiero Andrew Marshall Ben Baal-Bowdler Ronan Ryan Helen Archer Alex Baldwin Paul Garrett Jane Swindells Gemma Masterson Hollie Parkinson Martin Bonham Samina Begum We are saying hello to: Business Jodi Aitoro Wahab Mohammed Care, Childcare and Counselling Deborah Bird Centre Administration Rose Bedeau Creative Arts Toby Clark Enquiries and Guidance Elena Marin Finance & College Information Systems Amrita Kaur Shahin Uddin Foundation & Community Learning Karen Kettlewell IT Services Phil Beale Jason Dexter Land Based Services Kyle Schippers Lewie Cooper Elliot Green Philip Ostley Marketing Danielle Harrington Plumbing Nike Omotoso Service Industries Frederick Amanfo Sport, Outdoor Education and Public Services Tim Cranfield Student Services Russell George Technology & Apprenticeships Shuma Rouf March 2017