EDUCATION
Progress – Etc . colleges have recently achieved recordbreaking student retention rates , national award-wins for students and staff , and have made improvements to facilities .
With around 8,000 Etc . students , he likes to be involved and know what matters to them . “ I look at everything through the lens of students ,” he says .
Among his highlights so far are recordbreaking student retention rates , awardwinning achievements and performances and improvements to the colleges ’ facilities , with Redcar and Cleveland College ’ s pioneering Clean Energy Education Hub , improvements at Stockton and a new wing at Bede Sixth Form College for 200 more students .
The investment totals £ 11.7m across the group , thanks to funding from the Department for Education ’ s T Level Capital Funding grant , DfE Post-16 Capacity Fund and the Redcar Town Deal Fund . And there ’ s more to come , with plans in the pipeline to bring the NETA Training complex from its current site off Portrack Lane to a site next to the SRC2 building .
However , with his feet now firmly under the table , Grant believed a longer-term strategy was needed for the group – and the Etc . Strategic Plan 2023-26 is the result .
He explained : “ When I came last year , the Etc . had achieved a great deal and was in good shape with very strong foundations to build on . We therefore decided we needed something more longterm , looking at things on a three-to-fiveyear horizon .
“ It ’ s very much about taking the ship out of the harbour – where can we go next ?”
Where Etc . goes next is underpinned by six strategic objectives : harnessing the power of the group , developing skills for economic growth and inclusion , establishing long-term strategic partnerships , providing an employerand learner-led curriculum , providing real world learning environments and attracting and developing the best staff talent .
He said : “ I lead a team of incredibly talented educational leaders who run highly effective learning communities , each with a unique offer and focus .
“ My job is to ensure each part of our group , and each one of those unique learning institutions , offers the best possible experience for the communities they serve . To do that , I need to make sure the tone is right , that we ’ re working at the appropriate pace , and that we have the financial surety to make the improvements needed in those colleges .
“ I also have to make sure we establish the right culture across the organisation so that those we serve enjoy a similar experience , and that we attract and retain the talented staff body we need to work in those colleges .”
Areas of focus include a major investment in health , allied to council plans for a Care and Health Innovation
Zone in Stockton . There ’ s also a sharper focus on professional services , with latest addition to the Etc . family , Gatesheadbased Innersummit , providing workforce planning for professional services businesses , including team leadership , management training and a range of apprenticeships .
It ’ s not all about what happens in the classrooms and workplace , however .
One of Grant ’ s personal highlights was a staff volunteering day when around 200 Etc . staff headed out into the community – and Grant ’ s placement at MAIN , the autism charity in North Ormesby , where he “ lifted paving slabs , did a lot of weeding and put up a new fence to make a children ’ s area private ”, has seen him take a place as a MAIN trustee .
He ’ s still learning Czech with daughter Constance , seven ( in homage to wife Michaela ’ s homeland ) and running the occasional marathon , with Manchester next up in April .
And as for the Etc .? He said : “ I ’ m still very optimistic but I ’ m a lot more knowledgeable than when I arrived .
“ I ’ ve made a lot of positive and respectful relationships with some key people and organisations – and I ’ m feeling very much at home .”
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