The City of Liverpool College principal Elaine Bowker hails “education a powerful motivator in the right hands” after dedicating prestigious Fellowship to “my brilliant staff and students”

A college principal whose students receive “transformative and life-enhancing” provision has received the prestigious Fellowship of the Chartered Institution for Further Education (CIFE) in recognition of her service to the sector. 

But today, Elaine Bowker, principal and CEO at The City of Liverpool College, insisted the award was a collective reflection of “the college’s brilliant staff and dedicated students who embrace the multiple pathways to skilled jobs and careers we offer to enhance the growth of the city region”.

CIFE, which promotes excellence within further education and skills training and those who advance vocational, technical and professional education in England, limit its esteemed fellowship to “professionals who have attained a level of responsibility, success and regard within the FE sector and can demonstrate wide ranging impact”.

And presenting the award at a ceremony at The Chartered Institute of Further Education, Apothecaries’ Hall, Black Friars Lane, London, CIFE’s Chairman of the Council, The Rt Hon the Lord Lingfield said:

“Awards are made in recognition of an individual’s ongoing commitment to Further Education through continued professional development, pursuit of excellence and enduring impact on learners, localities, industry and the sector at large”.

The college, the largest further education college in the Liverpool City Region which operates across five campuses as well as a new construction academy at Liverpool Waters, has enjoyed a remarkable transformation during Elaine’s 14-year tenure.

Built on a commitment that its 13,000 students hailing from all backgrounds leave with the qualifications they need and skills employers want for their workforces, the college is now rated by Ofsted as Good with outstanding features. Inspectors said students’ time at the college was “transformative and life-enhancing”.

A whopping 95% of students progress to employment or further training after embarking on the City Region’s largest range of programmes including apprenticeships, A-levels, T-Levels and BTEC courses.

And the college, which is proud to offer above sector average pay for all its teachers, including new starters and those with dual teacher/industry roles, enjoyed record enrolments this summer and is a WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence.

On her fellowship, Elaine, who honed her expertise over four decades in the education, local government, skills and commercial sectors, said:

“As an unwavering advocate of bringing businesses and educators together to build compelling curriculums that deliver on City Region strategic priorities, I am delighted to receive this honour.

“But this really is a collective award. My career has been defined with a belief that education is a powerful motivator in the right hands with the single focus of raising and maintaining standards for students. Here at The City of Liverpool College, I am blessed to work with brilliant staff and dedicated students who embrace the multiple pathways to skilled jobs and careers we offer to enhance the growth of the city region”.