Colleges are established under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 for the charitable purpose of ‘advancing education’.

Colleges provide high-quality technical and professional education and training for young people, adults and employers, that prepare students with valuable skills for the workplace, helping to develop their career opportunities and strengthen the local, regional and national economy. 

The Corporation is the legal entity that operates the College, and the College is an activity through which the Corporation achieves its charitable purpose.

The Corporation’s core functions are to:

• Determine and develop the College’s educational character;
• Set and communicate the College’s strategy and goals;
• Hold the Executive leaders to account for the educational performance and quality of the College, and for the performance of staff;
• Exercise effective control to ensure that funds and assets are protected, the College remains solvent and its legal obligations are met.

The Corporation has ultimate responsibility for all governance matters, in accordance with its Instrument and Articles of Government, however it delegates responsibilities to Committees in accordance with the governance structure below and its governance documents and policies:

The Corporation determines the membership of each Committee, based on the skillsets required by the Committee and the skillsets held by the individual. 

Key Policies

Governance Meetings

The Corporation’s meetings and Committee meetings are run as hybrid meetings (i.e. with the option for virtual or physical attendance), with papers circulated in advance (seven days prior) by the Governance Professional. The Corporation’s schedule of meetings and minutes of previous meetings can be found here. Papers and minutes are stored and available on GovernorHub.

Twice a year (in January and May), everyone involved in governance comes together for a Strategic Conference to discuss the strategy for the respective institutions and the Group overall. 

In addition to governance and strategy meetings, everyone involved in governance is expected to participate in induction meetings (when new in post) and training sessions (throughout their term of office) to keep up to date with the latest information, guidance and best practices.

Role Descriptors

Terms of Reference

Financial Information

Registers

External Governance Review

Coming soon.