Dr Anne Murdoch, OBE, who has been Principal and CEO of Newbury College for 16 years, recently announced her intention to retire at the end of the year. As well as the College's longest serving principal, Anne is also the only female principal in its 70-year history.
Previously the Deputy Principal at Farnborough College of Technology, Anne Murdoch joined Newbury College in 2001 when it was located off the Oxford Road in Newbury. Anne oversaw the relocation of the College to its current, purpose-built site on Monks Lane in 2002, and has since developed the campus facilities to include a sports hall, construction training centre, training restaurant and, most recently, an engineering solutions laboratory.
The College, which was OFSTED rated good' in 2009, 2015 and 2017, also plans to open a new primary school ' Highwood Copse ' in 2018.
Speaking about her career, Anne said: It has been an honour and privilege to have spent most of my career within the education sector and my greatest joy to have served as Principal and CEO of Newbury College for over 16 years. The staff, students and partners have been an inspiration to me and I will miss them greatly.
Now that the College has had another good' OFSTED inspection and is in a strong financial position, it's a good time to hand over the leadership. The College is moving into an exciting new phase of development, with a new primary school planned and excellent facilities for science, technology, engineering and maths in place ' I have no doubt it will go from strength to strength.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my colleagues for their support over the years.
Anne was awarded an OBE in 2012 and graduated from the University of East Anglia with a Doctorate in Applied Education in 1983.
The College has also recently appointed a new Corporation Chair, Geoff Knappett. Geoff, former director of Newbury Building Society, who served on the College's corporation board for over eight years, and took over from West Berkshire Council's Chief Executive, Nick Carter whose term ended in April. Chris Boulton, Chief Executive of Greenham Common Trust, and Peter Allen, a retired businessman, have also recently joined the board.
Commenting on Anne's retirement, Geoff said: The governors express their sincere appreciation and gratitude for the way Anne has managed the College. Her drive and inspirational leadership have made a significant contribution to the College's success and achievements over the years. She will be greatly missed by governors, staff, students and stakeholders alike and she will leave with our very best wishes.
It is anticipated that Anne's successor will be in post from 1 January 2018. Anne will continue to work on a part-time basis to see the development of the primary school through to its opening, along with other campus projects. She will also help the College celebrate its 70th birthday next year.
Are you waiting for exam results in August? Not sure what to do next? Have you considered applying for an apprenticeship?
According to UCAS, applications for university places in 2017 are down by 5%*. That means more and more young people are deciding to look for alternative routes into their chosen careers. In 2015/16 just over half a million people started an apprenticeship programme ' an increase of 9,500 on the previous year**.
Here are five reasons why apprenticeships are fast becoming a popular choice for school leavers:
1. Get qualified ' Alongside work experience, you'll continue to study towards a nationally-recognised qualification. Apprenticeships can be studied at three different levels; intermediate, advanced and higher. You can now even study right up to a degree qualification (level 6).
2. Earn money ' an apprenticeship is a real job that will earn you a wage!
3. Relevant work experience ' you'll receive practical training and experience in a real-world working environment.
4. Available in a great range of subjects ' apprenticeships are available in a wide range of subjects including accountancy, business administration, health care, hairdressing, IT, professional cookery, engineering, vehicle maintenance and more.
5. Support and guidance ' all apprentices receive support and guidance from an assessor. The assessor will meet regularly with the apprentice and employer to discuss progress.
Don't wait for results day to apply for an apprenticeship.
If you want to work in business administration, customer service, HR or IT, or if your dream job is to be a chef, nursery nurse or engineer, apply for an apprenticeship now. Newbury College is currently advertising vacancies in all these areas. Don't wait until results day, get ahead of the game click here or call the apprenticeship team on 01635 845229.
Careers Advice
Newbury College is offering free Information, Advice and Guidance sessions throughout the summer email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 01635 845000 for details.
*UCAS ' applications for UK higher education down 5% for UK students, Feb 17 **Apprenticeship Statistics: England, 21/11/16
As part of a collaborative project with Thames Valley Police, Newbury College media students have created a short video to help raise awareness of child sexual exploitation (CSE).
Today's publication of the Higher Education funding Council's (HEFCE) Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) awarded Newbury College its Provisional Status'. The award is given to higher education providers that meet rigorous national quality requirements but which do not yet have sufficient data to be fully assessed'.
In the autumn term of 2016, Newbury College submitted its Annual Provider Review to HEFCE and a review of this confirmed that the College fully meets HEFCE's requirements for quality and standards'.
This means that:
Qualification standards are reliable and reasonably comparable to those across the UK
The student academic experience is of a high quality
Student outcomes are generally good or excellent and the provider has demonstrated continuous improvement in relation to them.
Newbury College continues to grow its higher education provision with programmes available in Art and Design, Business*, Engineering, Graphic Design, Health and Social Care*, Public Services and Sport.
Newbury College is excited to be developing a new B.Eng. (Hons) degree apprenticeship* with Buckinghamshire New University and is accepting enquiries from those interested in studying on this programme from September 2017. Call 01635 845000 for details.