Staff Profiles

"I joined the college in 2014 as a lecturer and was promoted to Curriculum Manager in 2016 and then to Director in 2020.

My current job entails providing senior leadership in my Curriculum & Apprenticeship team areas, managing an Assistant Director and a number of Curriculum Managers, developing a career-led curriculum to meet students’ and employers’ needs, working on external projects, meeting with employers, attending meetings and training, mentoring staff, completing quality-led activities, and assisting with recruitment for both students and staff.

I am currently studying for a Masters in Educational Leadership. The programme provides valuable leadership and management training, and development opportunities.

Prior to joining the college, I was a bricklayer and junior site manager for 15 years, working in domestic, housing, and commercial sectors. I completed my PTLLS teaching qualification (Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector), and then progressed on to do my Certificate in Education, during which time I volunteered at Accrington and Rossendale College.

I get a great sense of pride from my students and staff achievements. I joined the teaching profession so I could pass on my skills to the future generations. The college provides a good work-life balance, with excellent benefits, which includes a generous annual leave entitlement, competitive salaries, access to a free gym and free on-site parking.

To thrive at the college, you need to deal well with pressure and be very organised. Teaching is all encompassing and demands a degree of flexibility. Staff also need to be able to deal with student behaviour and communicate effectively with all stakeholders.

I love working at the college and aspire to work towards an executive management role."

"Within this diverse role, I line manage Art and Design, Performing Arts, Business and IT courses at the college, whilst also line managing the Curriculum Managers for Games, Media and Photography, Health and Social Care, Foundation Learning, Sports, and Public Services.

My main focus is to ensure a strong and consistent learning experience across college. Within my role I also teach on a range of Art and Design courses, which helps me keep in touch with the daily challenges faced by our teachers and to ensure that actions are put into place to resolve these.

A typical week will see me attending meetings at various levels across college, attending external events to inform strategic planning and development, supporting curriculum managers in 1:1 sessions, meeting with parents and external stakeholders, managing registers, timetabling, monitoring attendance, student progress, retention and achievement, and teaching. Each day is incredibly varied, and it is important to remain responsive to issues as and when they arise.

I studied GCSEs and A Levels, and then completed a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design at Mid Cheshire College. From there I went on to complete a BA Honours in Fine Art at Liverpool Hope University, followed by a PGCE in Further and Higher Education with Manchester Metropolitan University. To further deepen my knowledge of Fine Art I completed a Post Graduate qualification in Fine Art at the University of Chester.

My background is in lecturing, having worked as an Associate Lecturer in Fine Art at the University of Chester, and then an Art and Design Lecturer at Mid Cheshire College.

I love working at the college as each day throws up new challenges. It is incredibly rewarding to see students develop their skills, confidence and knowledge during their time in education, and to witness their positive destinations. There is a strong support network at the college, where we all help each other to achieve a common goal, supporting students to reach their full potential.

Managing teaching, managerial and leadership responsibilities is challenging, and I have to constantly juggle lots of tasks at the same time, often working to tight deadlines.

My ambition is to support the college on its journey to outstanding. I also wish to continue on my own professional journey into senior leadership."

"I joined the college in July 2020 as a full time Lecturer in Sport; I am also head football coach of the college football team.

My background, before joining the college, was in coaching, mainly in the football industry, in the community and professional Academy sectors. I am a fully qualified teacher, with a first-class honours degree in sports coaching, and the FA level three (UEFA B) coaching qualification in the sport of football. I also have experience of running a coaching business, and have worked with OPTA Sports, Manchester City FC, Wigan Athletic FC and more recently Bolton Wanders FC.

I enjoy working at the college as I am passionate about ‘putting our students and customers first’. Since joining the college, I have developed new partnership links within the sports curriculum to provide our students with opportunities to work in, and contribute to, the wider community. I have developed links with Warrington Schools Partnerships, Livewire Orford Jubilee, Warrington Wolves Foundation, England Swimming, Cheshire Cricket, England FA and LTA Tennis; this has had a positive impact on our students as it has provided them with experience within the community, and voluntary and part time opportunities within these organisations. This has provided career opportunities for our students in sports coaching, the NHS, swimming teaching and lifeguarding, teaching and leisure."

"I joined the college in November 2013 as a Learning Facilitator, working with students who required additional learning support, to ensure they achieve their qualifications and reach their potential. In September 2022 I moved to my current role of Learning Support Officer. In my current role I manage a team of Learning Facilitators, ensuring that we are meeting the needs of our students, and working closely with the curriculum and business support teams.

I studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at The Open University from 2016 – 2021, whilst working at the college, and graduated in the summer of 2021. Since joining the college, I have also resat my GCSE Maths, achieving a Grade 4, and have also completed the Level 3 Award in Education and Training.

The philosophy element of my university studies provided me with the skills and knowledge to deliver numerous presentations on critical thinking to both students and staff. These presentations, which took the form of philosophical ‘Thought Experiments’ and of specialised training sessions for staff, were well-received and subsequently implemented in their practice by several tutors, which meant a great deal to me.

I enjoy working at the college because I like to use my own life experiences to inspire learners, particularly those learners from underprivileged backgrounds. I am proud of my working-class upbringing and aim to help young people understand that through hard work and commitment, anything is possible. In my role, I make decisions in the best interests of the learners and my ethos is that a decision may look good on paper but loses its lustre if it adversely affects real people.

As a Learning Facilitator, I was able to draw upon my passion for film, television and media to support learners with Special Educational Needs in the fabulous Graphics and Media department at the college, making lifelong friends along the way.

I have been in a position where the future is uncertain, and where I had no clear indication of what I wanted to do with my life, so I know exactly how it feels to young people who are unsure of where they want to be. I also know the power of education and how it can open so many doors to people. Having the opportunity to resit my GCSE Maths and undertake my Level 3 teacher training, whilst being in an educational establishment full of talented, enthusiastic and experienced professionals, opened the door for me to progress to university-level study. I was spurred on by family and the friends I had made at the college to choose a topic I love to study for my degree. I did exactly that, and for that I will be forever grateful to Warrington and Vale Royal College. This, in addition to the love and encouragement of my family, especially my mum, led me to where I am today, and into a position where I can help incredibly talented young people achieve their potential."

"I joined the college in August 2021 as the Learning Technologist. In my role at the college I support and train both staff and students with anything to do with digital technology. So, if anyone needs help with their devices or any of the college systems, I am there to help.

Prior to joining the college, I worked as a content editor, and a digital media assistant at De Montfort University, whilst completing my Film Studies degree there.

Choosing to work at the college has without doubt become one of the easiest decisions of my life. One of our college values is that ‘we put our students and customers first’. Being able to work in partnership with other dedicated people who really care about their work and the students they educate is an absolute pleasure."

"I joined the college in April 2006, and my current role is MIS Systems Support Officer. In this role I maintain and support our college systems (ProMonitor, EBS), and write and run data reports for departments across the college.

After briefly working as a Telecoms Engineer, I completed a degree in Computer Science, and joined the college as an IT Support Advisor, helping the students in the Learning Resource Centre. The role evolved over time as I supported different software, and this led me to moving to the MIS Development Team, working with the various college systems.

The college recognises that ‘people are our greatest asset’; I love the immediate team that I work with, and how we help and support each other. We also work well with the other teams in MIS, and other departments across the college."