The Sheffield College Appoints A New Principal

21st January 2015

The Sheffield College has appointed a new Principal.

Heather Smith started her post this week, on Monday January 19th. The new post covers all the College's main sites: Hillsborough College, Norton College, Peaks College, Sheffield City College and The Sheffield College of Applied Engineering. Heather has 26 years' experience within further education and strong connections to Sheffield. Prior to the new appointment, Heather was Principal of Hillsborough College, Norton College and Peaks College. She said: -I am honoured to have been appointed to this role, given that my career started here at the College. I firmly believe in the power of further education and its life changing impact on individuals, communities and businesses. -Our vision is to build on our strengths, maximise new opportunities and ensure the College is strongly positioned for the future to enable more young people, adults and employers to get the skills they need, and which reflect regional economic priorities. Heather trained as a teacher, and began her career teaching psychology evening classes at Richmond College in Sheffield. She moved on to become a full-time lecturer on both academic and vocational courses. Heather rose up the ranks and was appointed as Head of General Education at the former Castle College, now Sheffield City College, Granville Road, in 2007 before being appointed to run Hillsborough College in 2009. That role expanded to include Norton College and Peaks College two years-ago. Heather has a Masters Degree in Occupational Psychology from the University of Sheffield, and lives in Sheffield with her family. In her spare time, she enjoys art, cooking and running. Heather MacDonald, Chief Executive, The Sheffield College, said: -Heather Smith is a consummate education professional. I am looking forward to working with her to drive further improvements in teaching, learning and assessment across The Sheffield College. Richard Wright, Chair, The Sheffield College Governing Body, added: -Heather is a stand out applicant and we are very fortunate to have someone of this stature for the role. She has day-to-day responsibility for teaching and student achievement and her track record speaks for itself. What has impressed me greatly is her understanding that the College is an important contributor to the wider region. The Sheffield College which is Ofsted graded 'Good' provides academic, vocational and professional qualifications to 20,000 students a year. It has an economic impact on the city of £321 million a year. Go to www.sheffcol.ac.uk. Call 0114 2602600. You can also follow us on Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook and Google+