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Empey welcomes appointment of new college Chairs

6 September 2010

The Employment and Learning Minister has announced the appointment of Chairs to four of Northern Ireland’s six Further Education Colleges.

Announcing the new Chairs, Sir Reg Empey, said: “These appointments are of the utmost importance for the continued success of the Further Education sector in Northern Ireland in the future.  The newly-appointed Chairs will be responsible for ensuring that their respective colleges are managed in the most effective way and reflect the needs of their local communities and the broader regional economy.”

The new chairs and their respective college groupings are:

  • Richard O’Rawe, Belfast Metropolitan College
  • Herbert Faulkner OBE, North West Regional College
  • Joseph Martin, South West College
  • Gerald Gilpin, Northern Regional College

The Minister continued: “Each Further Education College covers a wide area and delivers an important service by providing education and training to a large number of people from different backgrounds, as well as handling multi-million pound budgets.  As a result, it is vital that the right people with the right experience are selected.  I am confident that the new Chairs are up to this task and that the continued success of their 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 appointments were made after a rigorous selection process, which was regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, NI.

Notes to editors:

1. Mr O’Rawe is Managing Director of Stellar Leadership Limited, which provides consultancy services to organisations in fields such as leadership development, organisational development and strategic planning. He has also been Chair of the Connswater Community Greenway Project Management Board from 2006.

Until his retirement in 1993, Mr Faulkner was the finance and support services manager at the chemicals company, DuPont, where his responsibilities included all aspects of company finance and the management of personnel services.  Since his retirement, Mr Faulkner has been a member of a number of public bodies including the Western ELB (chairman, vice-chair and member), the Youth Council for NI (vice-chairman), the board of governors of Lisneal High School (chairman), the independent review panel of the Western HSSB (chairman) and the staff commission for the ELBs (vice-chairman).  

Mr Martin retired from his position as the Chief Executive of the Western ELB in 2004, having previously been senior education officer at WELB.  He also chaired the Classroom 2000 board (ICT implementation) and the Committee for Early Professional Development of teachers.

Mr Gilpin is currently Managing Partner with Gilpin ESD, which provides Executive Recruitment andManagement Development services to both public and private organisations.  He is also Chairman of the Board of Musical Theatre for Youth.

2. These appointments were made on merit and political activity played no part in the selection process.  However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for the political activity of appointees (if any declared) to be published.

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 Minister.

4. The positions are not remunerated.  

5. All media enquiries should be directed to the Department for Employment and Learning Communications Branch, on 028 9025 7872. Out of office hours please contact the duty press officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.