issue 04 september 2013
The Newsletter of Ayrshire College
Ayrshire
College
Has
Arrived!
The official launch
day, attended by
Cabinet Secretary for
Education and Lifelong
Learning Mike Russell
and more than 800
staff and student
representatives, took
place on 16 August, 2013.
Here, Willie Mackie, Chair of the Board
of Management, explains why he is
proud to be part of the new College
and shares his vision for the way ahead.
“16 August, 2013 was a truly historic day.
It is a rare event to be part of the creation
of a new College but for those who
attended the launch at Ayr Racecourse,
I am sure it will live long in the memory.
The aims of Ayrshire College - inspiring
achievement, raising aspirations,
increasing opportunities for all
communities in Ayrshire - were proudly
recorded on various images around
the room. They succinctly capture what
will be required to deliver a seven-star
college and a true ‘best-in-class’
student experience.
At the first meeting of the Ayrshire
College we talked about our key priorities
and agreed to refresh the constitution
and financial regulations and appointed
Pictured left to right: Willie Mackie – Chair of the Board of Management, Heather Dunk – Principal,
Mike Russell – Cabinet Secretary for Lifelong Learning, Waiyin Hatton – Vice Chair of the Board of Management
Chairs and board members to the
sub-committees.
My role, along with my fellow board
members, is to support Heather and
her senior management team as they
provide the best possible learning
experience for our students in the most
efficient and cost effective way possible.
Another key priority is good governance.
Get it right and you will free up your
management teams to go out and deliver.
Get it wrong and you will spend all
your time fire-fighting and focusing on
internal matters. I have been hugely
impressed by the Vision, Values and
Voice workshops which set out a standard
of staff engagement I have rarely seen
anywhere else in my career.
As a regional college, our profile will be
high and we can provide a single point of
contact for employers across the region.
Talking to employers, and ensuring the
curriculum is delivering the right
people with the right skills to meet the
needs of local businesses across
a variety of sectors is a key part of
Ayrshire College’s strategy.
Ayrshire College will also play an a
ctive role as part of the wider Ayrshire
economic agenda.
Both Heather and I are members of
the Ayrshire Economic Partnership,
which comprises public and private
sector leaders. This means local
stakeholders are up to speed with
college developments and, crucially
it puts the College at the centre of
strategic decision-making for the region.
This is an exciting time for all of us.
We have a fantastic opportunity to shape
the college we all want to be part of.
I wish everyone good luck and I look
forward to catching up with you
individually over the months ahead.”