Work With Us
Benefits of working at our college:
- Competitive rates of pay
- Generous annual leave entitlement (32-42 days plus bank holidays & Christmas closure days. Pro-rata for part-time staff)
- Occupational pension scheme
- Free flu jab
- Ample free parking on-campus
- Employee discounts package
- Childcare vouchers
- 24/7 Counselling Advice Service
- Staff development days
- Induction programme and buddy scheme
- Career development & career planning
- Focus on sustainability.
Our work environment and culture:
- Friendly and supportive working environment
- Thank you scheme, acknowledging colleagues’ efforts and dedication
- Buddy scheme, assisting in the welcome and induction of new members of staff
- Health and Wellbeing Committee, committed to the health and well-being of staff and students, promoting a culture of open communication, trust, respect, encouragement and understanding
- Trained Mental Health First Aid Champions
- Annual staff enrichment day
- Staff forums, with representatives from each department, giving an opportunity for staff to engage with the management team through discussion and feedback
- Bi-annual Performance Management Review, including review of CPD plan and adjustments for health and well-being
- Cross college activities.
About us
Warrington & Vale Royal College is based in the north of Cheshire, and operates on two campuses – Warrington and Winsford. The college was formerly Warrington Collegiate and Mid Cheshire College who merged on 1 August 2017 to become Warrington & Vale Royal College. We employ over 400 staff and currently have over 7,000 students on a range of technical and apprenticeship courses.
We provide our students with a high quality learning environment in which to develop their skills, and our highly qualified tutors have vast industry experience in their chosen profession.
"Friendly, supportive and fair."
These are the top three words used by our employees to describe us as an employer. We are committed to health and wellbeing, good communication, staff development and staff engagement. Our employees are proud to work for an organisation that has a positive impact on its local communities and transforms people’s lives for the better.
Don't just take our word for it - in our 2022 and 2023 annual staff surveys, a huge 93% of staff said they were proud to be a member of staff at our college!
Congratulations to our 2023 staff award winners!
Mission & Values
Our Mission: Realising potential; transforming lives.
Our seven core values will guide our conduct and will be at the heart of every decision we make.
- We put our students and customers first - prioritising students and their learning and progress, realising their potential, delighting our customers.
- We recognise that people are our greatest asset - recruit and retain the most talented staff, investing in them to fulfil their potential, creating a wealth of opportunities for personal development and progression, creating a culture of co-prosperity, rewarding them for the work they do.
- We pursue excellence in all we do - a passion for high quality education, training and skills solutions, holding ourselves to the highest possible standards, meeting (and exceeding) targets, making improvements, valuing creativity, supporting digital innovation and pedagogy.
- We embrace change - looking forward to the future, embracing new technologies, anticipating and responding to ongoing economic and social needs and demands, maintaining a growth mind-set, exploring new routes to partnership, collaboration and growth.
- We collaborate and work in partnership with others - actively seeking opportunities to work with others in the best interests of the college community and key stakeholders.
- We operate sustainably, ethically and responsibly - taking action to achieve net zero carbon targets, acting with integrity, with high levels of accountability and complete transparency, treating others fairly and with respect, communicating clearly, concisely and openly.
- We are guided by the principles of sound financial stewardship and operational efficiency - ever-mindful of an increasingly risk-laden operational environment, the need for broader sensitivity analysis in budgeting and forecasting and the importance of mitigating risks that could affect the college’s solvency.
Investors in People
Warrington & Vale Royal College is proud to hold the Gold accreditation in the Investors in People framework.
The college has been assessed against the criteria of Leading, Supporting and Improving. The Gold award means that the college has the right principles in place, and our people and leaders demonstrate a commitment to best practice, people management and personal development. Only 16% of IIP accredited organisations achieve the gold standard.
We are:
‘A sophisticated and highly proactive organisation which consistently demonstrates passion for navigating the complexities of FE and being the best that it can be’ with ‘an exceptionally effective communications infrastructure which keeps people in the loop at every level, making them feel like an integral part of the college’
(IIP report March 2022)
Armed Forces Covenant
Warrington & Vale Royal College is committed to the Armed Forces Covenant, and holds the silver award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS).
The college demonstrates this commitment by:
- Promoting that we are an Armed Forces-friendly organisation
- Supporting the employment of veterans and working with the Career Transition Partnership to support the employment of Service leavers
- Supporting our employees who are members of the Reserve Forces
- Supporting and promoting national events
- Supporting Armed Forces charities.
Disability Confident Employer
Warrington & Vale Royal College is signed up to the government’s Disability Confident employer scheme, and as a Disability Confident Employer we are committed to:
- Inclusive and accessible recruitment
- Communicating vacancies
- Offering an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria
- Providing reasonable adjustments
- Supporting existing employees.
The college is a member of the ManchesterAbility Employer Network. This is a cross organisational forum which brings government, companies and other organisations together to talk about the important issues surrounding disability and long-term health conditions in the workplace.
Equality & Diversity
In line with our Equality & Diversity Policy, it is essential for the college to achieve excellence through inclusion.
Staff and students must be able to flourish at the college and feel that any unfair disadvantage is eradicated.
Staff are encouraged to make us aware if they consider themselves to be disabled, or have difficulties at work, due to a physical or mental impairment. This enables us to assist and help staff, if necessary, in their work, and make any necessary reasonable adjustments.
Our Performance Management Reviews, which are conducted bi-annually, include a discussion with line managers on health and well-being, and any adjustments which need to be made for a disability.
The college has a Health and Well-being Committee, accompanied by a Health and Well-being Action Plan, and we work together to support and encourage the shared goal of positive well-being and a productive workplace.
Menopause Friendly Environment
We recognise that the menopause can have a significant effect on our staff’s personal and work life, and we aim to create an environment in which all our employees feel informed about the menopause, and are comfortable and confident talking about its impact, and asking for help and support.
Through our Menopause Action Plan, we are:
- Creating a culture where menopause can be talked about openly
- Providing information, education and training, to ensure that all staff and stakeholders are informed, and the college is menopause friendly
- Giving access to health support through our Occupational Health, and our Menopause Mentor Service provided by our Employee Assistance Programme
- Ensuring that our facilities support our staff who are experiencing menopause symptoms
