Stuart joined the College in summer 2014 as Principal and Chief Executive Officer, to lead Great Yarmouth College (GYC) to its ‘outstanding’ rating.
Previously Director of Quality and Enterprise for 7 years at Lancaster and Morecambe College and prior to that at Newcastle College, Stuart, 39, leads GYC as it undergoes its £6.2m make over and remodel of facilities due for completion in September 2015.
Great Yarmouth College – voted the highest rated college in Norfolk and Suffolk for employer satisfaction – would focus on developing even stronger relationships with businesses across Norfolk and North Suffolk by offering training, full-funded opportunities and the development of a new corporate business club with incentives for businesses to engage with the college.
“The college plays a critical role in skills development, supporting prosperity and local and regional economic development. I am fully committed to ensuring that outcomes for our students, employers and communities are the highest possible and achieve the maximum impact.”
He is also interested in taking his ‘place in local, regional and civic leadership’ by working with business leaders, the public and private sector to help shape the town. Stuart holds a seat on the New Anglia LEP Skills Board and also on Enterprise GY.
Stuart started his working life as ‘the guy who lifted boxes’ at a textile manufacturer, working his way up to running the company’s sales team before moving into a career in the financial services industry prior to entering education. He gained his first degree at Teesside University. Since then he has achieved a masters degree in Enterprise Management and an MBA, and has also run his own performance coaching company working with managers of small and medium-sized businesses to improve performance. He is currently writing a book on wellbeing and leadership. His other interests are wine – he owns a micro business importing Italian wine – and is an Ironman, having completed an Ironman triathlon in 2013.
