EDUCATION
On the eve of retirement , Mark White OBE DL reflects on 27 years of Teesside college governance
Experience – Mark White OBE DL entered the world of further education when he took a governance role at Billingham ’ s Bede Sixth Form College in 1995 .
PICTURES : TOM BANKS WORDS : DAVE ROBSON
“ When I walk into this place , I feel we are changing people ’ s lives . And if we do it badly , we let them , their families and society down . That ’ s why it ’ s really important to get it right .”
Mark White OBE DL is chatting in the smart , impressive boardroom at Stockton Riverside College , reflecting on a voluntary working life he ’ s about to leave behind after 27 years .
He ’ s chair of governors at the Education Training Collective ( Etc .), a thriving educational group which includes Billingham ’ s Bede Sixth Form College , NETA Training , Redcar and Cleveland College , Stockton Riverside College and The Skills Academy .
But not for much longer . On July 31 , Mark is retiring from the role he loves .
And while it ’ s a decision he ’ s comfortable with , he ’ s clearly going to miss what has been a major , and hugely fulfilling , part of his life .
A well-known face across Teesside and beyond , Mark , 64 , has undertaken countless governance and committee roles , not just with the college group but also in primary schools , with North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust , and nationally with the Association of Colleges ’ Charitable Trust and AoC Sport , to name but a few .
He ’ s also an “ immensely proud ” Deputy Lieutenant of County Durham – not bad for a Port Vale supporting son of Stoke-on-Trent who studied sociology at Teesside Polytechnic in the 1970s and stayed .
Spending his professional career at Teesside University , until his retirement as head of the vice-chancellor ’ s office and secretary to the board of governors in 2016 , he entered the world of further education when he took a governance role at Billingham ’ s Bede Sixth Form College in 1995 .
But it was in the mid to late noughties that things really started to change .
He recalls : “ Bede was the smallest sixth form in the country but the building was crumbling . We had great staff and students , but it clearly wasn ’ t sustainable in those premises , so we took a big decision in 2007-08 to dissolve Bede and merge with Stockton Riverside College ( SRC ).
He said : “ Now , if you go up Marsh
House Avenue in Billingham , you see this extraordinary , magnificent college and sports centre we opened in 2008 – I ’ m immensely proud of it .”
Change was needed at SRC too . He reflects : “ SRC in the late noughties had some real problems performance-wise , and particularly with Ofsted .
“ We had to take really difficult decisions but they led to its absolute renaissance . Then over the last decade , which includes all the Etc . establishments , we ’ ve established ourselves as a very high performing , very successful college group .”
More than 700 people are employed by Etc . – its last staff seminar was held at Stockton ’ s Globe Theatre – so it ’ s a large group responsible for the futures of thousands of people .
And that , says Mark , is a responsibility he , and Etc ., have never taken lightly .
He said : “ Colleges that go wrong are colleges at which governors stop asking questions , but that ’ s not what happens at the Education Training Collective .
“ We have a fabulous board of governors that is acutely conscious of its responsibilities to employers , individuals and to communities , to provide high quality education .”
A strong partnership with the business community is vital , he told Tees Business .
“ We cherish partnerships with employers and our employer engagement work is second to none . Our collaborative leadership approach in meeting the skills needs of the Teesworks site , for example , is respected by the combined authority and employers alike .”
And he says good leadership has been the key to the colleges ’ successes .
“ We ’ ve appointed leaders with an absolute grasp of our purpose , which is to serve the community , and to support employers , young people and adults to thrive and prosper .
“ Most of all , you mustn ’ t over promise – don ’ t shout , don ’ t be arrogant , but work with employers , schools , young people , adults and communities , with humility and with confidence , and always deliver what you say you ’ re going to deliver . That ’ s us in a nutshell .”
Affable and softly spoken , Mark loves engaging with students . One of his favourite moments , he says , was an hour spent with initially sceptical construction students who ended up chatting freely to him about music , football , everything really , as if they were old mates .
Away from Etc ., Mark loves music – “ it ’ s the essence of me ” – and particularly 60s and 70s bands and musicians who are still going strong . He also adores theatre , with Etc .’ s performing arts student productions among his highlights , and travelling with partner Lynn . And then there ’ s Port Vale . He smiled : “ You can only support one football club and for me that ’ s Port Vale . I ’ ve had a Boro season ticket since 1977 but when they play each other , there ’ s only one team I ’ m supporting .”
But why spend 27 years voluntarily in the board of governance firing line ?
He smiled : “ I ’ m not very good at doing nothing and , because Teesside had been good for me , I wanted to make a difference .
“ I had a great career and fell in love with the community . It sounds a bit glib but I actually wanted , and still want , to give something back .”
A resolutely “ glass half full ” person , his favourite four words are “ hope , ambition , aspiration and achievement ” – “ it ’ s what we do , and we do it well ,” he says , proudly . And when he leaves Etc . on July 31 ? “ This place will always be me and I ’ ll always be this place ,” he adds .
“ I know it ’ s the right time to leave . But I also know this group of colleges is incredibly well-placed to face the challenges of the future . It ’ s resilient , it ’ s stable , it ’ s phenomenally responsive to change and demand – and I ’ m going to watch it thrive and soar .”
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