The outgoing Principal of Lancaster and Morecambe College has left his position to begin a new role.
Wes Johnson has taken charge at Myerscough College and University Centre, a land-based and sports college, situated near Garstang.
Mr Johnson took charge of Lancaster and Morecambe College in April 2017.
Under his leadership, he steered the college from an Ofsted rating of ‘requires improvement’ to overall ‘good’ within two years, where inspectors praised a ‘clear vision for the College’ and how they had ‘reshaped many elements of the curriculum offer’ to be more work-focused.
‘’It is an honour and a privilege to be appointed as the next Principal of Myerscough College,'' Mr Johnson said.
‘’As a passionate advocate for colleges, the North-West and specialist land-based education the opportunity to lead the next chapter of Myerscough’s success is hugely exciting.
‘’Playing a role in Myerscough’s future not only strengthens my passion for agriculture and land-based education, but also embraces a heartfelt family connection as my wife and two sons all hugely benefitted as former students.
‘’I thoroughly enjoyed my time and Lancaster & Morecambe College, a very special college at the heart of its community.
‘’I’m sure the College will continue to thrive and support its community in maximising the great opportunities ahead, especially Eden Project Morecambe, a project very close to my heart.
‘’As an advocate for technical and professional education I look forward to continuing in my role as Chair of The Lancashire Colleges (TLC), bringing together all twelve of Lancashire’s fantastic colleges.’’
Wes has more than 25 years of experience in education, with many of those as a senior leader in both general and specialist further and higher education institutions across the north of England.
He became campus principal at Newton Rigg College, Penrith, in 2012, a position which was expanded to include Askham Bryan’s centres in the North-East, before he took charge of Lancaster and Morecambe College in April 2017.
During his time at Lancaster and Morecambe, he created a Director of Employer Engagement and Apprenticeships role, to get feedback about the college’s offer, to tailor programmes accordingly.
Career possibilities at nearby Heysham Nuclear Power Station led the college to adjust its engineering qualification to recognise the specific skills needed locally.
Under his leadership, LMC has been working in partnership with Eden since 2018, establishing an Eden Learning Hub on campus and helping to shape the innovative Morecambe Bay Curriculum, with local schools, colleges and universities across the region.
The college won an award from the Association of Colleges for setting up the ‘Morecambe Bay Curriculum’. In response to Eden Project North, now Eden Project Morecambe, the college designed a cross-sector curriculum with primary and secondary schools around climate change, sustainability and eco-citizenship. It links to the college’s new ‘Eden traineeship’, which aims to help learners gain entry to a range of jobs emerging locally.
He also became a Director of Lancaster & District Chamber of Commerce in 2018, and is Chair of The Lancashire Colleges organisation.
Mr Johnson’s replacement as Chief Executive and Principal will be announced in the coming weeks.
‘’This is my passion, on both a personal and professional level,’’ he said, speaking about the new challenge that lies ahead.
‘’I live on a little hill farm on the Forest of Bowland, and that’s a big part of my wellbeing strategy in terms of escaping the trials and tribulations of being in charge.
‘’That’s very important to me, those land-based careers in the very broadest sense. It’s a big part of my family heritage. My wife was a student at Myerscough, and both of my sons have been Myerscough sportsturf apprentices.
‘’I want to build on the fantastic work that Alison Robinson has done,
‘’A big part of being Chief Executive and Principal for me is being accountable to industry. It’s my job to ensure that our product is fit for purpose. We will have the conversations, and they will lead to actions.
‘’Post pandemic, we need to support our learners into the real world of work. In Lancashire, this has been identified as part of the Local Skills Improvement Plan, which has just been published.
‘’By working together, we can say to all learners, ‘this is a wonderful career, and this is accessible to you’.’’
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