Principalship

Rachel joined the College in 2015 in the role of Vice Principal before becoming Deputy Principal in 2019. Prior to her appointment as Principal, Rachel was the strategic lead for the College’s ambitious £140m estates transformation project which successfully completed in 2022, delivering industry standard facilities. Rachel started her career at the FE Funding Council (FEFC) where she spent 9 years, including leading investigations into underperforming colleges and overseeing the smooth transition from the FEFC to the Learning and Skills Council for all 13 Lancashire colleges. She then moved to Blackburn College, where she progressed to become Deputy Principal.

After starting teaching in 1997, Barry joined The Manchester College in 2000 as a sport tutor. Since then, he has worked in several managerial and leadership roles within the College, across different curriculum areas. As a result of this Barry has a wealth of experience in curriculum design and implementation. As Deputy Principal Barry leads on the College’s strategy for young people ensuring that we meet the objectives of both our strategic plan and the College’s contribution to meeting the skills needs of Manchester and Greater Manchester.

Michael joined us as Vice Principal and Dean in October 2017 from Salford City College, where he was Deputy Principal. He has more than 25 years’ experience in both further education colleges and sixth form colleges and has managed student support, Further and higher curriculum, quality during his career. Michael has led on the development of UCEN Manchester and its strategy to deliver high quality higher technical and professional education and is currently leading the development of our Adult Education Strategy.

Mark began his career working in Colleges in 2002, starting as a teacher of sport science. Mark has since progressed into director and senior management roles across further and higher education including at Cheshire colleges before joining Stockport and Trafford College as Dean of HE and Assistant Principal Quality. Mark is experienced in curriculum developments, quality enhancement and strategic partnerships.

He joined UCEN Manchester in 2020 as Associate Dean of UCEN Manchester, leading on the higher level curriculum, quality standards and the student experience. He was promoted to Vice Principal, alongside his Vice Dean role in 2023, to support the development and implementation of our Adult Education Strategy at The Manchester College. Mark is committed to providing a high-quality curriculum offer that meets local skills needs for adult learners in Greater Manchester.

Michelle joined LTE Group in 2020, initially as Assistant Principal, Quality and Standards, and worked across the Group before being appointed as the College’s Vice Principal in 2023. She has been working in education for over 30 years, starting as a PE teacher in secondary schools before moving into the sixth form, HE and FE sectors.

Michelle has held senior leadership roles in quality, staff development, teacher training and pastoral care. As a former international sportswoman and having led and managed provision in the social care sector, Michelle brings a wide range of experience and transferrable skills to her role as Vice Principal, Quality and Standards, at The Manchester College.

Marie joined us in 1999 as a lecturer in the Hair and Beauty Department and has performed a number of roles across the college leading to her current role. She has extensive experience of Further Education (FE) especially within the context of Safeguarding and Support. As Vice Principal for Student Support and Experience at The Manchester College Marie oversees the design and implementation of the student experience, ensuring it meets the objectives of the Strategic Plan and GM priorities.

Debbie joined The LTE Group in March 2016 as Divisional Finance Director for The Manchester College, having previously spent nine years working in the education sector at Blackburn College in finance roles. As Vice Principal Debbie leads on ensuring that the College’s resources, facilities and associated support teams are aligned to the needs of The Manchester College and UCEN Manchester strategic plans, which includes the College’s estate strategy. Her background prior to the education sector includes the logistics, IT and insurance sectors.

As the Divisional Finance Director, Orla is responsible for providing strategic financial and commercial support to the College & UCEN Manchester in planning & forecasting and managing operational finance matters including financial governance. She ensures that robust systems and processes are in place to make sure that resources are invested well for maximum student impact. Orla is also part of the team working on the Estate Strategy. Orla joined us in September 2023. As a Chartered Accountant, her background prior to the education sector includes 20+ years’ experience in the social housing, IT, travel and healthcare sectors.

Louise joined LTE Group in 2012 following 12 years at Keep Britain Tidy. She has extensive experience of strategic marketing and communications within the public sector, and has overall responsibility for all external marketing and communications for The Manchester College and LTE Group. Louise ensures that our marketing and communications reflect the college and wider Group strategy and meet the needs of our learners, colleagues and stakeholders.

Jamie joined us in July 2015 as IT Director having previously worked in various CxO roles within the IT sales industry. Jamie has over 15 years' experience across various commercial and public sector organisations whose IT requirements varied in terms of business need and scale. Jamie is responsible for delivering a modern, scalable and resilient IT service and assisting in bidding for new business streams. Prior to working in the IT industry Jamie served in the Army Intelligence Corps.

Sally joined the LTE Group in March 2020 and comes from a construction and facilities management background. She has previously spent 15 years in business systems across health & safety, environment, quality and risk management, mainly in the private sector. With a passion for safety, health and wellbeing, Sally is responsible for delivering safety and risk strategy across the Group.