David Jones appointed Chair of Qualifications Wales Board

The Welsh Government have announced the appointment of David Jones, Chief Executive of Coleg Cambria, as the new Chair of Qualifications Wales.

The announcement was made by Education Minister for Wales, Kirsty Williams.

David Jones said: “I am delighted to be appointed as the new chair of Qualifications Wales and I look forward to taking over from Ann Evans in the Autumn.

“I would like to congratulate Ann and the Board, Philip Blaker and all of the staff for their excellent work in establishing the new organisation and achieving so much so quickly. It builds on the work of Huw Evans, who led the review that recommended the formation of Qualifications Wales, and who sadly passed away suddenly just a few weeks ago. 

“I am standing down from my role at Coleg Cambria at the end of this year and looking forward to building on Qualifications Wales’ work at an exciting and challenging time, with many changes and developments in the world of education and qualifications.

“Qualifications Wales has a key role to play in ensuring that our Welsh qualifications support our ambitions as a country, and in continuing to develop as a world class qualifications’ regulator”.

Current Chair Ann Evans said: “It has been an honour and privilege to chair the board from the inception of Qualifications Wales in 2015. I am sure that David will continue to build on the strong foundations we have laid when I hand over the reins.”

David Jones takes up his new role as Chair of Qualifications Wales in October, prior to standing down as Chief Executive of Coleg Cambria at the end of 2019.

Born in Aberystwyth and brought up in Ceredigion, David has studied or worked across all regions of Wales.

A Chartered Engineer, David has over 30 years of experience working in Further and Higher Education. He was first appointed as Principal/Chief Executive of Deeside College in 2004 and has since led the three mergers which led to the creation of Coleg Cambria in 2013.

Coleg Cambria is recognised across Wales and the UK for its innovation, its strong partnerships with schools, and the strength of its links with its community and local economy.

David’s current external appointments include chairing the Deeside Enterprise Zone Board, the newly formed AMRC Cymru Board, the CBI North Wales Committee and he is vice chair of the Collab Group of leading UK colleges. He is also a member of the Welsh Government’s European Advisory Group.

David was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of Clwyd in March 2010 and was awarded an OBE in the 2015 New Year’s Honours List in recognition of his services to education. David also won the TES UK FE Leader of the Year Award in 2017.