New CEO takes the helm at WCG and outlines key priorities for college group

A leading Midlands college group is under new leadership with a new CEO officially joining.

Sara-Jane Watkins has taken the helm at WCG (Warwickshire College Group) after being appointed earlier this year.

She has outlined her key priorities for the group, which include fostering nurturing learning environments, expanding engagement with employers, supporting communities and responding to the skills needs of the local economy.

WCG includes six colleges across Warwickshire and Worcestershire, including Royal Leamington Spa College, Rugby College, Warwick Trident College, Moreton Morrell College, Pershore College and Evesham New College.

Sara-Jane joins the college group from South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (SGS) where she had been College Principal since 2015 and also operated as Deputy Chief Executive of the SGS group.

Sara-Jane said: “We have an incredible team of positive and passionate people across the college group who are dedicated, compassionate and really do care about delivering the best possible experience for learners.

“Their skills and positive attitude will underpin everything we are aiming to achieve at the college group over the coming years. Moving forward, we want staff to have the freedom to innovate and continue delivering a first-class service to students.

“This is a college group of great diversity and significant strengths, from our large international department, strong employer engagement and ambitious degree provision, to excellent specialist facilities, provision for learners with high needs and our work in responding to the regional skills agenda.

“Local skills needs are an area we will continue to place great importance on, and we will be positively embracing new opportunities that provide learning routes that are aligned to the needs of employers.

“It is essential we are seen as the first port of call for employers seeking their workforce, but also an anchor institution which provides resources for the communities in which we are based.

“We already excel at a number of our colleges in providing nurturing learning environments for learners who may have struggled in mainstream education. This is something we want to further develop, so our colleges are places that give everyone the opportunity to succeed.”

Sara-Jane, who is establishing a new senior leadership team at WCG, has also outlined her long-term plans for the college group.

These include developing direct recruitment for 14 to 16-year-olds, repositioning Pershore College as an international destination for students passionate about sustainability, and developing sports academies at college sites.

“We are aiming to make our offer as inclusive as it can be, with one method being to expand our range of entry level and Level 1 courses,” added Sara-Jane.

“There are many learners who struggle in a traditional school setting, and over the next couple of years we will be exploring opportunities to provide an alternative pathway for 14 to 16-year-olds.

“Every college across WCG is different and we place great importance on supporting aspirational learners to exceed their potential, with a pathway from entry- level all the way to completing a degree with our university centre.

“We will continue to be ambitious and grow our curriculum. As part of that strategy, we will be looking at developing sports academies across our sites.

“This will all work towards building a sustainable, resilient and thriving college group for the future which provides learners with outstanding education and unparalleled support, employers with the skills for the modern economy, and staff with opportunities to develop and break boundaries.” 

For more information on courses and study programmes at WCG, visit www.wcg.ac.uk