Governors

Change lives through learning. Opportunities are now available to join the Board of Chichester College Group, the leading provider of FE & skills provision across West Sussex, Brighton and Hove. Do you have the skills and experience needed to support the next step of their impressive journey?

Closing date: 9 a.m. Monday 18th November

Who we are.

Chichester College Group is the largest and most diverse college group in Sussex, with a forecast turnover of approximately £110m in 2023/24.

We offer learning opportunities for all ages, including nursery provision and 14-16, and for all levels, from foundation/entry to university level and professional qualifications. Our offer covers all 15 subject sector areas with a full ladder of learning in the majority of vocational areas enabling students to progress from Level 1 to Level 3 and beyond.

About the role.

Chichester College Group have been on an impressive yet complex journey over the last seven years. The Group has been formed through Chichester College merging with a number of like-minded providers from across the region; Central Sussex College (2017), Worthing College (2019), and Greater Brighton Metropolitan College (2022). Haywards Heath became part of the Group when it opened in 2020. Also, during this time, we have recruited new senior leaders including our CEO, Andy Green and our Chair, Steve Cooper who are both committed to the development of our Group and vision to change lives through learning in support of the communities that we serve and the people that work for us.

Our Board has been focused and dedicated in its support of the college during this period of growth and transition. Indeed, a vital component of our success during this period has been the stability that our Board has provided us. We have now come to a point where a number of our members have served their maximum period as a governor and so we need to appoint new members to bring their expertise to our Board. Given that we are one year post-merger, and with a new strategic plan soon to be launched, this will be an exciting time to join the College as a member of our Board.

As a Governor and Board member, your experience and external expertise will contribute to the successes of our Group, students and people by providing scrutiny, challenge and support in achieving our strategic goals and enabling the continued improvement of learning.

Who we are looking for.

Following recent changes and developments across the Group, we have now entered a period of consolidation for our Board, allowing us to reflect on recent successes whilst moving forward with both ambition and stability. Having reflected on the talents and skills of our Board members, we have identified a number of areas which we feel we need to strengthen, given ongoing development and the upcoming launch of a new long-term strategy. As such, we seek to appoint four new governors to our Board, each with a specific skill set to help us grow and develop in different ways:

• Finance – strategic oversight and professionally qualified
• Capital development, estates management and/or facilities management

All of our governors share a passion for self-development through education and an understanding of the important role that Chichester College Group plays in developing local individuals and bringing prosperity to our region.

Previous governance experience and an understanding of boardroom behaviours and governance processes are important as this will allow you to get up to speed quickly and ensure you can be effective from day one. We do, of course, offer a full induction process and constant support throughout your time on our Board. As we are sure you’d expect, there are parts of our training which are mandatory – such as safeguarding training.

We are looking for people who are comfortable in offering constructive feedback, happy to ask those difficult questions that help us think differently, and individuals who are willing to make a commitment to be visible and supportive advocates of our Group.

You will need to have the capacity and time to commit to this opportunity with a busy meetings schedule and an array of events that Governors are invited to take part in as part of the academic calendar. In return, Chichester College Group provide a comprehensive induction programme, development opportunities for all governors and, most importantly, the chance to impact the lives of all our students through being part of our ambitious and impactful institution.

Peridot Partners and Chichester College Group are, together, committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and our client expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references before any final offer can be made.

Please click 'Apply via website’ to be redirected to the Peridot Partners website, where you can find full details of the candidate profile and register your interest to apply.

Applications for this role close on Monday 18th November.