Senior appointments to boost College’s curriculum

Macclesfield College has made two senior hires in line with its strategic vision to strengthen education delivery and meet the needs of the local and national business community.

Ella Tsui-Lau and Ian Carten join the College to head up its STEM and Creative & Commercial departments respectively.

Shortage of skilled engineers is a colossal issue in the engineering sector. With an annual shortfall of 55,000 workers, Engineering UK reports that companies will need 182,000 people per year with requisite skills in the decade to 2022.

The new lead for the STEM centre is a strategic hire to ensure the college’s curriculum and its delivery meets the needs of employers by providing the new generation of work-ready engineers.

With in excess of 16 years of experience, Ella joins the college from her role as a Quality Assurance educational consultant. She will oversee the delivery of science, IT, engineering, aeronautical, automotive and construction courses at the college.

Ian Carten, who will head up the Creative & Commercial department, boasts 20 years of teaching and training experience. He has managed a range of curriculum areas in FE and Sixth Form Colleges and worked in industry as a music school and product specialist.

Speaking of the new appointments, chief executive and principal of Macclesfield College, Rachel Kay, said: “Whilst the engineering sector has a shortage gap, the UK’s creative industry offers 1.9m jobs across the country and is growing faster than any other sector.

“We want to ensure that our curriculum reflects economic trends and that the education delivery at Macclesfield College equips our students with the necessary skills and makes them stand out from the crowd when looking for employment.

“Bringing in the right people is vital to ensuring that we can provide our students with education excellence and that our college can thrive and eventually become an outstanding establishment. With 36 years of experience from a spectrum of educational roles under their collective belt, the new senior appointments will add great value to each of the departments.”