City College Brighton and Hove has appointed a new principal.
The further and higher education college has appointed Sharon Collett and completed its senior management line-up with the appointment of Jon Rollings as chief operating officer.
Last month the college appointed former Brighton University graduate Nick Juba, currently a director at University of the Arts in London, as its new chief executive.
All three will take up their posts later this year.
City College chair of governors Julie Nerney said: “The appointment of Sharon and Jon is the final stage in establishing an exceptionally strong and enormously experienced leadership team and heralds a new era of excellence for the college.
“Following Nick’s appointment we were determined to find the very best candidates for these two vital roles to complement his level of expertise as an established educational innovator.
“Sharon and Jon impressed the selection panel with their obvious skills and experience in further and higher education but also with their determination to provide the very best learning experience for our students and the wider community that we serve.
“The new leadership team will drive our strategic development plans forward and we can now look ahead to an exciting future for the college which has a pivotal role in Brighton and Hove’s position as one of the top five cities in the UK for private sector job creation.”
Mr Juba said: “Sharon demonstrated exactly the knowledge, skills and experience needed to lead teaching, learning and assessment at City College and to contribute to the organisation’s wider development and growth.
“Jon comes to us with a proven track record of successful delivery in both the commercial and education sectors and a clear understanding of finance, property and corporate services in further education. I am looking forward to working with both of them.”
Sharon Collett has spent the past seven years as vice-principal at Bournemouth and Poole College, having started her career in early years education and social care in local government in London.
Through this role she developed links with the local further education college. She undertook a Master of Education (MEd) degree, teacher training and a postgraduate diploma through the Centre of Excellence in Leadership programme. And she worked at Enfield College for 10 years, rising to head of school.
Before joining Bournemouth and Poole College, she worked at West Herts College where she was director of curriculum. She contributed to the creation of contemporary learning spaces for the new college, which was assessed as “outstanding” two years later.
At Bournemouth and Poole College, her successes have included the creation of a “student first” ethos, innovative teaching, learning and assessment and championing the employment agenda.
She said: “I am delighted to be appointed City College principal and keen to put all of my energy into ensuring the college becomes first choice for post-16 education through the provision of a high-quality and modern curriculum that meets the needs of the area and business community.
“I want to ensure students are successful on study programmes and courses, progress to higher levels of learning and ultimately to be the most sought-after employees.
“I am most proud of the student voice and ‘student first’ ethos I have developed in my present job and of our Ofsted inspection results, success I am keen to transfer to City College.
“As an eternal student myself, having studied with the Open University, Middlesex and Lancaster universities over many years, I want to pass on my love of education to our students and help them to maximise their potential.
“I want their experience to be outstanding in the broadest definition of the word.”
Mr Rollings is currently director of finance and corporate services at Northbrook College, in Worthing, a role that he has held since 2006.
Alongside significant financial improvements and the development of the college’s support services, he has overseen the delivery of a £30 million property redevelopment strategy.
He joined Southern Water as a trainee accountant and, over 16 years, progressed to group financial controller in 2004.
He said: “I’m looking forward to working with the new team to take City College forward by putting in place a robust and sustainable financial strategy, alongside development of high-performing support services and provision of high-quality facilities for our learners and other key stakeholders.
“This is a really exciting opportunity to be part of the development and delivery of the ambitious and innovative plans set out by the board.
“I’m proud to have been part of a team at Northbrook that has delivered significant improvements in both academic and financial performance.
“I aim to bring that level of expertise to my new role at City College and am looking forward to the opportunity to work in such a vibrant and dynamic city.”
