Governors Role

The Role of a Governor…….. Is it for You?

The Corporation (more commonly referred to as the “Governing Body”) comprises 17 members from a range of backgrounds and drawn from the community that the college serves. The membership and composition of the governing body ensures that it has the benefit of views from both the local and the business community, together with its students and staff.

The main business of the Governing Body is to determine the educational character of the College and to ensure its overall well being. It is responsible for the quality of the service to its students and their welfare, the financial health of the College, the proper use of public funds and for ensuring effective management. It also has the responsibility for setting and monitoring targets for the retention and achievement of students – ensuring that students continue their studies and achieve their learning goals.

The role of a governor is voluntary and may be compared to that of a non-executive director of the board of a public company. However, whilst a board is accountable to its shareholders, the governing body are responsible for ensuring that the public funds received from the Learning and Skills Council are used in accordance with the appropriate LSC regulations and financial memorandum. As such, both the College and the Governing Body have to take account of the educational policies of national government.

The legal power of the governing body resides with the governing body as a whole and not with individual governors. However, the skills, expertise and experience of individual governors are crucial in ensuring a successful and effective governing body. The key elements however, that we look for in any prospective governor are enthusiasm and commitment.

The main commitment is to attend the regular meetings of the Governing Body – normally no more than five meetings during the course of an academic year. Members also have the opportunity to join one of the specialist Committees which meet ordinarily once a term.  Training is available through national, regional or local providers and affords the opportunity to meet fellow governors across the region.

If you are interested in becoming a governor or would like to find out more about the role please contact Sue Glover, Clerk to the Corporation at the College at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

We very much welcome applications from prospective candidates and would look forward to hearing from anyone interested in becoming a governor of the College.