Developing High-Performing Leaders at Stoke on Trent College

We were delighted to recently work with colleagues at Stoke-on-Trent College on a bespoke in-house leadership development programme, The High Performance Development Programme.

The programme brought together forty leaders from across the college, with a shared focus on culture, leadership effectiveness, ownership and effective people leadership.

Strong leadership is central to creating the conditions for teams to flourish and for the college to achieve its ambitious goals. That is why the programme was designed to build the competence, capacity and confidence of the leaders taking part, while also strengthening the collective effectiveness of the wider leadership team.

It also gave leaders something that is often in short supply in busy college environments: time. Time to reflect, time to think deeply about their own leadership and time to explore practical solutions that can support more effective leadership in the future.

Across the programme, the emphasis was on collaboration, shared learning and real-world impact. By embedding the college’s people strategy and supporting its priorities around people leadership, performance, ownership, accountability and future planning, the programme supported leadership development in a way that felt both relevant and purposeful.

The programme concluded with a final conference, which brought colleagues together to reflect on their learning. Delegates presented their collaborative leadership projects undertaken throughout the programme, focusing on the purpose of their projects, the learning gained through the process, and the impact on both their leadership practice and the wider college. The conference also provided delegates with an opportunity to reflect on their development as leaders and to consider their next steps following the programme.

Reflecting on the impact of the programme, Hassan Rizvi, Principal and CEO of Stoke on Trent College, said:

“At Stoke on Trent College, we are committed to investing in the professional development of our staff to ensure we continue delivering the very best outcomes for our students and wider community.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to FE Associates and trainers Matt Atkinson, Paul Wakeling and Dan Beale for delivering an outstanding High Performance Leadership Development Programme for our college leaders.

The programme has helped colleagues to strengthen their leadership capability and drive continuous improvement across the college and has already had a positive impact on improving outcomes across our organisation.

Thank you once again to our staff who embraced the training and delivered some excellent presentations to inform our exciting next steps.”

At FE Associates, we are passionate about working alongside colleges to develop leaders who make a difference. Stoke on Trent College’s commitment to investing in its leaders is a strong example of that and we were proud to be part of it.

For more information on all our leadership development opportunities, please visit:

https://www.fea.co.uk/ld/ –

To discuss your leadership development and training requirements, contact: – Jack.Moriarty@fea.co.uk