WCG appoints President in a first for the sector

WCG has announced that former MP Chris White will be the college group’s first ever President, in what is thought to be a unique appointment in the further education sector.

The Governing Body of WCG, which has seven colleges across Warwickshire and Worcestershire, made the decision to introduce the President role last year. The President will work closely with the CEO/Group Principal and Chair, act as an ambassador for the college group, build relationships with potential partners and raise the profile of WCG’s work on a local, regional and national stage. The President role is voluntary and unpaid, the same as Governor roles, and is appointed on a term of office basis.

Angela Joyce, Group Principal and CEO of WCG said, “With the Technical and Further Education Act increasing the duties of Governors, the Board at WCG carefully considered its implications to ensure we maintain an effective Governance model. We already have Advisory Boards for each college within WCG, working in support of the Corporation Board, to add a depth of strategic oversight. The  Corporation Board itself is made up of highly skilled individuals from across the region. At the same time, finding the balance of skills for an effective Corporation Board Chair is increasingly challenging as the Chair needs to support the CEO, work well with the Governors and maintain the right level of monitoring and oversight. It is for this reason we decided around 12 months ago to introduce a President role to work with the Chair and myself.

“We are delighted that Chris White will now become the first WCG President. Chris has a strong career history and as the previous MP for Warwick and Leamington has an extensive network locally, regionally and nationally. We look forward with enthusiasm to the changes in further education and are confident that Chris and the Governors will continue to set an ambitious future for WCG.”

Stephen Wood, WCG Chairman, said “The Corporation Board unanimously agreed with Chris’ appointment as WCG President; we are certain that he and the President role itself will be a positive addition to our governance structures. I look forward to working with Chris and I know he will be a great asset to our work at WCG.”

Chris White attended a further education college before gaining an engineering degree and MBA, progressing to roles at MG Rover and Century PR. During his time as MP for Warwick and Leamington he was Co-Chair of both the All Party Parliamentary Manufacturing Group and the All-Party Group on Video Games, both vital industries for this area.

Chris White added “I am honoured and excited to have been appointed WCG’s first President. I have worked closely with WCG for a number of years now and seen how its importance in the region has grown. I have also attended the Apprenticeship Graduation events for WCG and am convinced that this approach to securing the skills our region needs is here to stay and is going to grow. I hope to help bring WCG together with other key players in the region to work together profitably and positively.”

WCG is one of the largest general further and higher education college groups in the UK, providing high quality education and training for individuals and organisations at a local, regional, national and international level.