New South Staffordshire College Principal outlines vision

South Staffordshire College has announced Claire Boliver as its new Chief Executive Principal, succeeding Graham Morley who steps down at the end of February after 10 years in charge of the College.

Claire, who begins her new role on 1^st March 2018, has outlined her vision for the College to give learners “careers not courses”, and ensure the College has a curriculum that is right for the economy and communities it serves.   

Departing Principal Graham Morley paid tribute to his colleagues at the College,

“I am immensely proud of all the successes and achievements of the staff. The Board of Governors has chosen an exceptional leader in Claire. Her first-hand knowledge of the community and track record of delivering success places her in the strongest position, and I wish her, the College, and its learners every success in the future.”

The new Chief Executive Principal is expected to hit the ground running given her familiarity with the College, having begun her further education career there on a teaching placement.  Over a number of years, she worked her way up to become Director of Curriculum before moving to Wolverhampton College where, after just two years, she became the Principal. One of her first moves will be to re-launch a curriculum review to ensure the courses on offer align to the needs of the economy and community, to enable learners to build successful careers.

Claire outlined her ambitions for the College,

“As a College we need to be responsive and flexible to the needs of the economy and community we serve in our campuses in Lichfield, Tamworth and Rodbaston, and indeed across the whole of South Staffordshire.

I’ve spoken before about the need for further education to offer ‘careers not courses’ and this is the mind-set I wanted to bring into the College. As Chair of Governors Steve Burgin brings with him a wealth of experience. We fear no limitations as we look to enhance our employer partnerships.”

In November the College announced the appointment of Steve Burgin as its new Chair of Governors who brings with him years of experience after an illustrious career in engineering.

Chair of Governors Steve Burgin outlined the impact Graham Morley had on the College:

“Graham is leaving the College in a very strong and healthy financial position.  Last year saw a record 11% increase in intakes, which demonstrates this is the College of choice for learners across Staffordshire.

“Graham pioneered partnerships with industry, culminating in the £5.4m investment in the AgriSTEM Academy, which offers state of the art facilities that match the employment needs of the local economy. Looking forward, with Claire at the helm I’m very keen to build on our existing employer partnerships and explore new sectors to give our learners the best start in their careers.”