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Welcome
Welcome to this website, and thank you for your interest in the position of non-executive Board Member, Dumfries and Galloway College. We are seeking exceptionally motivated and creative applicants to join our Board of Management, during a time of huge change for both the College itself and for the further and higher education across Scotland. We are looking for up to 5 potential new Board Members to fill current and upcoming vacancies, with a variety of skills and experience.
We are at the start of a Transformation journey as set out in our Ambition 2025. The impact of COVID-19 has created new challenges for the College but has also highlighted opportunities and potential on which we want to build.
The College operates across two Campuses in the beautiful South West of Scotland with the main site in Dumfries on the Crichton Campus and the second serving west of the region in Stranraer. While much of the curriculum is common across both campuses, responding and delivering to the needs of diverse and dispersed rural communities is a key challenge for our operation. The area we serve covers 2,400 square miles with all the opportunities and challenges that brings. We are the largest provider on the multi-institutional Crichton Campus, and have strong partnerships with the University of the West of Scotland, the University of Glasgow, the Open University and Scotland’s Rural College. This unique partnership extends beyond collaborative curriculum planning and effective articulation agreements; the college also hosts a number of shared services in our modern Dumfries building, including the Campus library.
The college has continued to invest in Renewables & Engineering, Sustainable Construction, and Care and is a leading voice in green skills development to help tackle climate change. We are proud of our achievements having this year won awards for:
- Winner – Sustainability Action Award 2021, College Development Network Awards
- Winner – Outstanding Project Award 2021, Scottish Green Energy Awards
- Winner – Campus of the Future Benefitting Society (Small Institution) 2021, Green Gown Awards
- Winner – Sustainability Institution of the Year (Small institution) 2021, Green Gown Awards
Dumfries and Galloway College plays an important part in delivering the region’s and nation’s economic and social strategy and we are a key strategic partner in the region. Our progress to date has been based upon an effective relationship between the Board of Management and the Principal and Executive Leadership Team. We believe this has given us a firm foundation for the future which we hope you can see from the following information.
Please take the time to read through this website and find out more about the role and our College. I hope this provides you with all the information you require and look forward to receiving your application.
Hugh Carr
Chair to the Board of Management
About Dumfries and Galloway College
Dumfries and Galloway College is located in beautiful South West Scotland, the gateway to three countries – Scotland, England and Ireland. Our campus sites reflect the commitment of the College in serving the needs of the whole of the Region. The College has an average of 5,000 students per year – 25% full-time and 75% part-time/other attendance. Approximately 10% are west of the region-based.
We are a multi-award winning successful college that delivers professional, technical and vocational education and training across a wide range of sectors from introductory through to advanced level, including Modern and Foundation Apprenticeships. We also provide a large number of industry-based training courses for businesses in Dumfries and Galloway and beyond.
The main campus is located in the outskirts of Dumfries adjacent to the Crichton campuses of the Universities of Glasgow and the West of Scotland, Scotland’s Rural College and the Open University. There is a unique collaboration between the College and these institutions that brings a broad range of learning opportunities to Dumfries and Galloway. In particular, the Campus provides the opportunity of university learning to a region where previously people had to leave in order to access university study. Although the College has two campuses and many learning centre partnerships across the Region, we are a College without walls – creating flexible learning approaches to suit everyone. This means learning opportunities are varied and abundant – from full-time courses to flexible part-time courses, from learning in College to learning at home, work or in the great outdoors of Dumfries and Galloway.
An enhanced learner experience is achieved through shared services with the Universities of Glasgow and the West of Scotland in the form of some shared building space and a single, cohesive library service available to all students from each institution. The Crichton Estate which is open to the public contains stunning parklands and provides a beautiful environment for over 1,000 people to work.
The College also operates a campus in Stranraer, 75 miles to the west of Dumfries. Although the range of provision offered here is not as great as that in Dumfries, it reflects the skills demands of the West of the Region.
The College’s approach to learning is a reflection of the rural locality, the local economy and the changing patterns of lifestyles. As a major employer and a dynamic rural learning institution, we have strongly embraced the digital revolution and its many forms are fast becoming the bedrock of our operations and academic delivery, enhanced even further from delivery changes as a result of the pandemic.
We are moving into an exciting stage of our development, building on the successes of the past and driving forward to achieve our aspiration of becoming “an outstanding regional college”.
We are optimistic about our future and feel that through
- our strong partnership working with our learners, schools, employers and the wider community;
- our continued investments in staff, facilities and infrastructure,
- our investment in digital technology to improve access to learning and services and further enhance our commercial options;
- and the commitment and dedication of our staff, we will achieve our aim of being an ‘outstanding College’ and a sector leader.
Please follow the links below to read more about how we intend to achieve our ambitions:
Trustee Recruitment
The Board of Management is essential to the development and achievement of the strategic aims and objectives of the College. The Board is collectively responsible for overseeing the College’s activities, determining its future direction, and fostering an environment in which the College’s 5-year ambition is achieved and the potential of all learners is maximised. The Board must ensure compliance with the relevant legislation and other regulatory requirements and, subject to these, take all final decisions on matters of fundamental concern to the College and be accountable for them.
The board are looking for members who have a key interest and passion for the Dumfries and Galloway region and the following skills:
- Audit/Finance background – ideally someone interested in leading the Audit Committee
- Human Resources, Strategy or Management experience
- Economic development/recovery with a strategic background
All Board members need to have specific general skills and personal qualities which will enable them to make a good contribution to the Board, but these do not have to have been gained by working at a management post or at a senior/strategic level. We are looking for people with enquiring minds and who can communicate ideas and thoughts to others.
For more information please review the Application Pack below.
Governance
If appointed as a Board Member you will be required to abide by the Code of Good Governance for Scotland’s Colleges which can be found here.
Code of Conduct
The Scottish public has high expectations of those who serve on the boards of public bodies. The Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 provided for a new Code of Conduct. As a member of the Board, it is your responsibility to make sure that your actions comply with this Code of Conduct. The general principles upon which the Code of Conduct is based are: public service; selflessness; integrity; objectivity; accountability and stewardship; openness; honesty; leadership and respect. Members must register and declare all interests as required by the Standards Commission for Scotland and these are published on the College website and in the annual accounts.
Enquiries
If you have any queries or would like a confidential discussion about the role, please contact Donogh O’Brien or Kate Kennedy at Aspen People on 0141 212 7555.
Application
To apply please email your CV and supporting letter together with the following completed forms to Melissa Scholes – mscholes@aspenpeople.co.uk
You will receive an acknowledgement of your application within 48 hours – if you do not receive this please contact Melissa Scholes on 0141 212 7555 to ensure it has been received.
Additional information on Disclosure of Criminal Offences and Immigration, Asylum and Nationality available below for download.
The College is committed to equal opportunities in recruitment therefore no applicant will receive less favourable treatment on the grounds of any protected characteristic or be disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable.
Please help us to monitor the effectiveness of our policy by completing all parts of the Equal Opportunities Form. This section of the application form will not be circulated to those involved in the recruitment process and will not be used to assess your suitability for appointment but will used as part of our monitoring records.
Proposed Dates
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to meet a selection panel of existing Board members, and candidates recommended by the panel and selected by the Board, will be submitted to the Scottish Government for approval and formal appointment.
Interviews: February / March 2022