New Year Honours list 2025 for FE, Skills and Training

More than 1,200 recipients receive honours this year across all sectors, with particular commendation to role models in sport, healthcare, academia and voluntary service.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said:

“Each and every day, ordinary people go out and do extraordinary things for their communities.

“They represent the very best of the UK and that core value of service which I put at the centre of everything this government does.

The New Year Honours List celebrates more of these unsung heroes, and I thank them for their incredible contribution.

Those honoured in this year’s honours list range from FE and Skills Practitioners to celebritities including Stephen Fry who receives a Knighthood for his work on mental health awareness. He is an honorary fellow of Royal College of Psychiatrists and President of the mental health charity Mind since 2011.

Who has been honoured in FE and Skills?

Knight or Dame

• Professor Julia Clare BUCKINGHAM CBE Lately Vice-Chancellor, Brunel University London, and lately President, Universities UK. For services to Higher Education
• Professor Alison Margaret FULLER Professor, Vocational Education and Work, University College London. For services to Higher Education
• Professor Bashir Mohammed Ali AL-HASHIMI CBE FREng FRS Vice-President (Research and Innovation), King’s College London. For services to Engineering and Education
• The Right Honourable Nicolas John GIBB For services to Education

CBE – Commander of the Order of the British Empire

• Alastair John  DA COSTA Chair, Capital City College Group, London. For services to Further Education
• Dr Fazal DAD Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Blackburn College, Lancashire. For services to Further Education
• Satwant Kaur DEOL Lately Principle and Chief Executive Officer, The Henley College, Oxfordshire. For services to Further Education
• Gerard Paul MCDONALD Group Principal and Chief Executive Officer, New City College, London. For services to Further Education
• Geoffrey BARTON Lately General Secretary, Association of School and College Leaders. For services to Education
• Humphrey William BATTCOCK Philanthropist, Centre for Homelessness Impact. For services to Tackling Homelessness and to Education
• Professor Richard Andrew WILLIAMS OBE FREng FRSE Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Heriot-Watt University. For services to Education, to Engineering and to Entrepreneurship

OBE – Officer of the Order of the British Empire

• Lynette LEITH Vice-Principal for Curriculum and Skills, Hull College. For services to Further Education
• Fiona MOREY Executive Principal, South Bank Colleges, London. For services to Further Education
• David McAllister BLANEY Lately Chief Executive Officer,  Higher Education Funding Council for Wales. For services to Higher Education
• Deirdra Gabrielle CONAGHAN For services to Theatre and to Education for Adults with Learning Disabilities
• Mark John Scott LAWRIE Chief Executive Officer, StreetGames and Chair of Trustees, Personal Best Foundation. For services to Education and to Young People
• Robert Mark ORMEROD Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, Keele University. For services to Education and to Sustainability
• Hugh Henry PATTERSON Professor Emeritus of Politics, Ulster University. For services to Education and to Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland
• Elizabeth Sarah TODD Professor, Educational Inclusion, Newcastle University. For services to Education and to Young People

MBE – Member of the Order of the British Empire

• Miranda Abigail APPLETON Principal, Hereford College of Arts. For services to Further Education
• Katherine Pamela BARCLAY Board Member, Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.  For services to Education and Skills
• Gareth HOPKINS Apprenticeship Programme Manager, Forestry Commission. For services to Forestry
• Peter John KENNEDY Lately Executive Principal, Franklin College, Grimsby. For services to Further Education
• Bolaji Olubusola SOFOLUWE Co-Founder, Group MD Enterprise, Training and Knowledge Group. For services to Sustainable Business Growth, to Female Entrepreneurs and to International Trade
• Janice Louise ALLEN Principal, Fivemiletown College. For services to Education in Northern Ireland
• Claire Louise BIGGAR Inclusion and Wellbeing Consultant and Military Public Engagement Lead,  Edinburgh Napier University. For services to Education
• Susannah HARDYMAN Founder and lately Chief Executive Officer, Action Tutoring, London. For services to Education
• Catherine Jennifer HITCHEN Professional Adviser, SEND, Department for Education. For services to Education and SEND
• Gary HORNE Deputy Chief Executive, Colchester Institute, Essex. For services to Education
• Francis Paul KEENAN Professor, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University Belfast. For services to Higher Education
• Michael Francis KILBRIDE Principal, Birkenhead Sixth Form College, Merseyside. For services to Education
• James Charles LEE EASE Project Coordinator, Glasgow Clyde College. For services to English for Speakers of Other Languages Education in Glasgow
• Christine Anne LYNESS Governor, Ashton Sixth Form College, Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester. For services to Education
• Susie MCDONALD Chief Executive Officer, Tender Education and Arts, and Founder, Tender National. For services to Young People and to the Prevention of Abuse
• Mark Gerald MITCHELL Lately Chair of Trustees, Solent Academies Trust. For services to Education
• Mavis WEST Trustee and Founder, Yorkshire Association for Music and Special Educational Needs. For services to Adults and Children with Additional Needs through the Provision of Music
• John WESTWELL Director, System Leadership, National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics. For services to Education

BEM – British Empire Medal

• Marlene Hilda BURT Governor, Christ the King Sixth Form College, Bexley, London. For services to Further Education
• Karen PITT Senior Telecoms Engineer, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. For services to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Skills
• David DAVIDSON Reporting Manager, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. For services to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and to the Education Sector in Cumbria
• Matthew GLEAVES Senior Executive Officer, Department for Education. For services to People with Disabilities in Sport
• Celia Elizabeth Brierley WEBSTER Founder, The Challenge Group and Co-Founder, Wave for Change, London. For services to Children and People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
• Doirean Luvurn WILSON Lately Associate Professor, Human Resource Management, Middlesex University. For services to Equality and Diversity in Education

Sector Reaction to the King’s New Years Honours List

David Hughes, Chief Executive, AoC said: “I’m delighted to see so many deserving college leaders and staff recognised in the 2024 New Year’s Honours. It’s their hard work, passion and expertise that makes our colleges great places to learn, train and grow.  

“I hope everyone working across our sector who has been honoured today enjoys celebrating with their loved ones, and I send them all my congratulations.” 

Dr Kate Barclay (who was awarded an MBE), said the honour was a wonderful surprise, and that it has been a pleasure to serve on IfATE’s board:

“Playing a leading role in apprenticeships and technical education across England has been a real privilege, a huge personal challenge and powerful learning experience that I hope means there are many, many more opportunities for people to progress into meaningful careers.’’

‘‘I have a passion for opportunity and believe that your background, characteristics, and previous experiences should play a positive part in the contributions you make and definitely not be a barrier.

“As a biochemical engineer and sector leader I’ve enjoyed the diverse governance challenges across professional and technical education reform, continually ensuring the employer voice is central to the development of high-quality standards and fostering collaboration across sectors.’’  

Jennifer Coupland, IfATE’s chief executive, said: “It is wonderful to see Kate’s drive and passion for improving lives through technical education recognised so publicly.

Kate is an inspirational leader in her field – and she is a shining example of how an individual can make a huge difference.

“I am personally grateful to Kate for the considerable ambition, expertise and dedication she has brought to her role as an IfATE board member for the best part of a decade.”

“It is great to see the world of apprenticeships recognised by the King, and well done to all of those who have been honoured today!”

If we have missed you off the list, apologies; whilst Dan was celebrating on a roof terrace in Sydney, I was going boggle-eyed looking at a list of 1200 people and running loads of different searches, so apologies if we missed you off the list. Message me on LinkedIn and I will try and add you onto the list.