Dame Shelagh Legrave and Jo Maher join Education Training Foundation as Special Advisers 

The Education Training Foundation (ETF), the professional body for the Further Education (FE) and skills workforce, has appointed Dame Shelagh Legrave DBE DL and Jo Maher as Special Advisers – bringing together two nationally respected leaders with deep experience of FE and a strong track record of leadership, reform and influence across education, government and wider society. 

Both will help drive the delivery of ETF’s refreshed strategy, including new initiatives and interventions designed to support the FE and skills workforce in areas such as leadership and governance, SEND and inclusion, and inspiring a new generation of young people to pursue careers as educators. 

Dame Shelagh brings exceptional sector insight from her time as FE Commissioner and a long career in college leadership. Jo brings a distinctive cross-sector perspective spanning FE, higher education, government, elite sport and policy reform. Together, they will help ETF strengthen its impact within the sector and extend the reach and influence of FE expertise beyond it. 

Commenting on the appointments, Dr Katerina Kolyva. Chief Executive, Education Training Foundation, said:  

“Dame Shelagh and Jo Maher bring exceptional leadership, deep FE experience and a strong understanding of what our sector and its people need to succeed. Their insight will help us support teachers, trainers, leaders and other professionals to develop, progress and do their best work – strengthening organisations and improving outcomes for learners. 

FE has a huge contribution to make to the country’s future, from skills and employability to social mobility and the SEND agenda, reducing NEETs and creating growth and opportunity across every community. Investing in the people who make that happen must be at the heart of it.” 

Dame Shelagh Legrave DBE DL served as Further Education Commissioner for England from 2021 until her retirement in January 2026, overseeing a sector of more than 200 colleges. She was previously Chief Executive of Chichester College Group for more than 11 years, leading its expansion through mergers with Crawley and Worthing colleges and the opening of Haywards Heath College, with the Group achieving an Outstanding Ofsted judgement in 2020. Shelagh began her career as an Army officer before moving into investment banking and qualifying as an accountant. She has also held senior roles in higher education and serves across several charitable and civic organisations. 

Jo Maher is a nationally recognised leader across education, sport and policy, and a former Pro-Vice Chancellor for Sport and Professor of Practise in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences. Her career in Further Education included seven years as Principal and Chief Executive of Boston College and Loughborough College, where she led major quality improvement, capital and partnership programmes. Jo now serves on the FA Council and National Game Board, chairs the FA Development Committee and is an independent expert on the DCMS Board for Women’s Sport. Her wider work has included establishing the Women in Sport Research & Innovation Hub, leading landmark reforms to female athlete insurance, bringing the NFL Academy to Loughborough and co-creating two Institutes of Technology.