Governor | Chelmsford College

Be part of an ambitious and passionate Governing Body at Chelmsford College. A college at the heart of the community, with the ambition to transform lives through inspirational education and training, making a significant contribution to the social and economic success in the region and beyond.

About Chelmsford College

Chelmsford College is a successful further education college in the heart of Essex, established over 60 years ago, providing vocational and technical skills training to young people and adults across the county and beyond.

Our campuses, located on two sites in the City of Chelmsford, and the Billericay Skills Academy at the Billericay Town Football Club, have benefited from nearly £5m of capital investment over the last few years. This includes the Southeast Institute of Technology, which specialises in higher technical skills in engineering and construction; the cyber security and forensic digital labs; and the Centre for Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies, which focuses on construction trades, retrofit, and renewable energy training.

The College is also the main provider of courses for profound and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) students in the County. Our focus is always on what is best for our students, helping to raise aspirations and reduce inequalities, supporting them to become the best they can be.

We challenge ourselves to always do better, try new things and innovate. We offer an inclusive and diverse learning environment that celebrates differences and encourages everyone to aim high and unlock their potential.

Vision

Our VISION is to unlock potential and transform lives through inspirational education and training.

Mission

Our MISSION is a college that is at the heart of the community, with the power and ambition to transform lives through inspirational education and training, making a significant contribution to the social and economic success in the region and beyond.

Values

Our college VALUES are embedded in everything we do:

• Promoting fairness and equity in all our undertakings, challenging ourselves to push boundaries, be brave and take decisions that transform lives.
• Respectful and supportive for every individual, listening to each other and taking pride in our professionalism, honesty and integrity.
• Ambitious for all the College community to be the best we can be, challenging ourselves to be outstanding and supporting each other to realise our aspirations.
• Innovative in how we work and develop, valuing new ideas and innovative ways of working to deliver knowledge and skills. Empowering ourselves to be agile and future-focused.
• Standout in the communities we serve through innovation and creating social value, recognising and celebrating success in all the work we do.
• Excellence in teaching and learning delivering programmes that challenge our students to achieve their ambitions and driving expertise and passion among our academic staff.

Students are at the heart of everything we do. By demonstrating these values, we aim to create a productive working environment for our staff and a positive learning environment for all our students.

Role Description

The Corporation is known as Chelmsford College’s Governing Body. Its members consist of volunteers drawn from the community, two staff members, and two student members from the College. The Governors offer experience from sectors such as industry, business, education, and the public service sector. Independent members are appointed by the Governing Body, and the Staff Governors are elected by the staff of the Group. The student Governors are elected by the students of the group.

The Governing Body’s role is to agree on a strategic direction for the College, set objectives, and monitor the results. The Governing Body supports the College in achieving a high-quality learning experience for students by providing a strategic role and not becoming involved with operational management, which is ably delivered by the CEO and his team. Its adopted Instrument and Articles govern the Governing Body and has adopted the AoC Code of Good Governance for English Colleges 2023.

The Governing Body is responsible for:

• Determining the educational character and mission of the Group and for oversight of its activities.
• Approving the quality strategy of the institution.
• Ensuring the effective and efficient use of resources, the solvency of the Group and the Governing Body and safeguarding assets.
• Approving annual estimates of income and expenditure.
• The appointment, grading, suspension, dismissal and determination of the pay and conditions of service of the holders of senior posts and the Clerk.
• Establishing a framework for the pay and conditions of service of all other staff.

Who we are looking for

Chelmsford College seeks to engage with a professional with senior leadership and strategic experience.

We are looking for someone who shares the values of inclusivity and is people-focused, someone who has a passion for education and understands its importance and impact on all learners and the community around us.

Additionally, this individual will have a strong drive to move the college forward and positively influence Chelmsford College’s success.

We expect that the appointed candidate will be able to demonstrate a clear understanding of the principles of good governance and how these should be implemented to discharge fiduciary responsibilities in the context of a Non-Executive Board.

The time commitment for this role is 4 – 8 hours per month.

If you are motivated by the prospect of contributing to the success of Chelmsford College and have the skills and experience to be part of our Governing Board, we would be thrilled to hear from you.