Go Forth and shape education
AN award-winning education provider, Forth Valley College is about to cement its reputation with a £78m investment and is seeking a dynamic, strategic leader for a newly created post.
Work is about to begin on a new Falkirk Campus HQ to complement the state-of-the-art campuses at Alloa and Stirling and the college has an opening for a Head of Learning and Quality to help deliver a number of key strategic priorities. The college is recognised as a leading provider of further and higher education offering a wide range of courses and training opportunities.
It became Scotland’s first regional college with the merger of Clackmannanshire and Falkirk Colleges and now welcomes around 14,500 students per academic session with 95 per cent of learners progressing to further studies or employment upon completion of their course.
Specialising in science, engineering and construction at Falkirk, creative industries, hospitality and tourism at Stirling and business at Alloa, the provision ranges from access to degree level and includes full-time and part-time courses, evening classes, flexible and on-line learning, vocational qualifications and business training courses.
There are eight teaching departments and the college is one of Scotland’s leading Modern Apprentice (MA) training providers, regularly accommodating more than 1000 MAs annually.
The college also works closely with a wide range of partners to ensure they are providing opportuni- ties that meet the needs of learners, employers, local industry and national skill agendas.
The new Head of Learning and Quality will be expected to manage evaluation and quality improvement and enhancement processes to meet Education Scotland and Scottish Funding Council requirements.
He or she will also be expected to lead the Developing the Young Workforce agenda, enhance school, college and university partnerships and also manage the use of technologies to support and enhance learning.
Reporting directly to the senior management team, the new Head of Learning and Quality will be a key college manager and be responsible for the overall strategic and operational management of the staff, services and activities of the department across all campuses.
Applicants should have a degree or equivalent and sound, demonstrable knowledge of contemporary thinking and strategic priorities in learning, teaching, quality and curriculum in the FE sector.
They will have significant successful experience of management in an education setting and a strong track record in leading innovation and quality enhancement. It is important that the successful person should be a strategic thinker and an excellent communicator with a strong track record of leading and managing effective teams.
Dr Ken Thomson, Principal of Forth Valley College, said: “We are entering an exciting new phase at Forth Valley College with the start of building work on our new £78m Falkirk Campus HQ which, by its opening in September 2019, will complete our ambitious estates programme that began with the completion of new campuses in Alloa in 2011 and in Stirling in 2012.”