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Chairs of new Further Education Colleges announced

The Department for Employment and Learning today announced the chairs of the governing bodies for the six new further education colleges.

Employment and Learning Minister, Maria Eagle, said: “These appointments are of the utmost importance for the future of the further education sector in Northern Ireland.  The new chairs will be responsible for ensuring that the colleges are managed in the most effective way and reflect the needs of their local communities and the broader regional economy.”

The new colleges are being formed through a series of mergers amongst the 16 existing colleges, and will all be established by August 2007.

The Minister said: “Since the new colleges will cover a much wider area and provide education and training to a much larger number of people than before, as well as handling very large budgets, it is vital that the right people with the right experience are selected.  I am confident that the six new chairs are up to this task and that the future success of the new colleges will be assured through their leadership.”

The governing body of each college is responsible for securing the efficient and effective management of the college, agreeing and monitoring its strategic direction, appointing the college’s senior staff and ensuring that the college acts as a responsible employer.  

The new chairs and their respective college groupings are:

Brian Rowntree – Armagh College, Newry & Kilkeel Institute and Upper Bann Institute

James O’Kane – Belfast Institute and Castlereagh College

Brian Caul – Causeway Institute, East Antrim Institute and North East Institute

Brian Acheson – East Down Institute, Lisburn Institute and North Down and Ards Institute

Patrick O’Kane – East Tyrone College, Fermanagh College and Omagh College

Eamon Beattie – Limavady College and North West Institute

The appointments were made after a rigorous selection process, which was monitored by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments under their kite mark scheme.  A competition for governing body members is currently underway.  The new bodies will be in place early in 2007 and will assume formal responsibility for the new colleges from the merger date.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

  1. The previous Minister with responsibility for Employment and Learning, Angela Smith, announced in September 2005 that the existing 16 further education colleges will merge to form six new area-based colleges from the start of the 2007/2008 academic year.  The creation of new governing bodies is part of this merger process.
  2. The governing body is responsible for securing the efficient and effective management of the college, having regard to the needs of industry, commerce and the community in which it is situated.  
  3. A selection panel, which included an independent assessor nominated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, considered the suitability of all candidates.  The final decision on the appointments rested with the current Minister, Maria Eagle.
  4. The positions are not currently remunerated, although this position will be reviewed.