Former Association of South East Colleges (AOSEC) chief executive Dr Jan Edrich has been appointed principal at Hampshire’s Eastleigh College.
She takes over from Tony Lau-Walker CBE who retired after 17 years at the college — and two years after leading it to an Ofsted outstanding grade.
Dr Edrich has worked at the college as the deputy chief executive since October 2012. She has a doctorate in college strategic planning and policy and has worked in education since 1990, having come from a commercial background in telecommunications manufacturing.
Outside of work, she likes to de-stress by running and has four marathons under her belt.
“During my time at AOSEC I worked closely with 60 colleges and spent a lot of time with them on budgets, quality improvement and strategy, so I know what makes a college special,” she said.
“I particularly liked the focus at Eastleigh College on preparing young people for work, an apprenticeship or university, in partnership with employers in the area to make sure that they get plenty of real experience and know what to expect.
“There is an excellent team here at the college and we are proud of our reputation of getting students into great jobs in both local and national businesses — it is crucial that our students are highly employable at the end of their time with us.”
Meanwhile Bournemouth & Poole College is preparing for life without principal Lawrence Vincent, who has announced he is to leave at the end of the academic year.
He said: “I have decided that it’s time for me to move on as principal of Bournemouth & Poole College.
“The project that I was brought in to achieve, namely to modernise and improve the college, will have been completed by then and I will be moving on to new challenges.
He added: “I have had a wonderful 20 years here and will have been principal for six years by the time I depart; I’ll be around for some while yet. I want to be sure that the college gets a new leader who will be the right fit for the college’s ambitions.”
Joy Postings, chair of the board of corporation said: “We are very sorry Lawrence is leaving us at the end of this academic year.
“He has created a strong base on which the college’s reputation within the community has grown. Lawrence has transformed how we work with businesses, ensuring our students leave with the confidence and skills that they need to get jobs and progress in their careers.”
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