Two new Trustee appointments for national distance learning provider NEC

The Open School Trust has appointed former CACHE (the Council for Awards in Care, Health and Education) Chief Executive Richard Dorrance and former Social Finance Chief Operating Officer Corrinne Calloway to its board of trustees. NEC (the National Extension College), the UK’s only not-for-profit provider of skills-based and vocational subjects, is part of the Open School Trust. It has 7,000 students in the UK studying for intermediate level qualifications.

Richard Dorrance became Chief Executive and Company Secretary of CACHE when it was set up in 1993, retiring in 2013. He held the position of Acting Chief Executive of the School Examinations and Assessment Council, the organisation responsible for regulating GCSEs, A levels and SATs (Standard Assessment Tests) from 1991. In 1988, he became Assistant Chief Executive of the National Curriculum Council, which was responsible for introducing England’s first national curriculum. A chemistry graduate and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, he worked with Unilever researching micelles while studying for his PhD. Richard Dorrance has been Governor of West Herts College and a board member of the Federation of Awarding Bodies.

Corrinne Calloway is a chief operating officer and business manager who led the not-for-profit funding organisation Social Finance between 2008 and 2012, the period in which it became an authorised entity in the UK and Europe. She has worked in business management roles in the banking sector for RBS, Natixis Global Asset Management, JPMorgan Chase, ABN AMRO and Deutsche Bank. She is currently contracted as Chief Operating Officer for Banque Transatlantique. Corrinne Calloway graduated with a BSC in information technology in 1991, became a Full Member of the Securities Institute in 2000 and was awarded a CII (Chartered Institute of Insurers) Diploma in Financial Planning in 2013.

Commenting on the appointments, Chair of Trustees Tony Dodds said: ‘Richard and Corrinne join the board of the Open School Trust as we move ahead from celebrating the outstanding exam results of students in NEC’s 50th anniversary year. Richard’s commitment to extending educational opportunities to people who have not achieved their potential at school and Corrinne’s expertise in strategic planning and business growth will support us in our ambition to reach thousands more adults and young people who deserve a second chance at learning.’

NEC CEO Ros Morpeth shortlisted as TES FE Leader of the Year 2014

NEC Chief Executive Ros Morpeth has been shortlisted for the Times Educational Supplement FE Leader of the Year Award 2014. The 2014 awards are the third annual TES FE Awards and ‘recognise the dedication and expertise of the people who, on a daily basis, make a significant contribution to improving the skill levels of young people and adult learners.’ The names of the winners in all twelve categories will be announced on 28 February.#

Since it was set up by the social entrepreneur Michael (later Lord) Young in 1963, NEC has supported an estimated 750,000 students, including those with disabilities, people in long-term hospital care, those serving custodial sentences, adults with caring responsibilities and those serving in the armed forces.

ENDS

Media enquiries:

Elizabeth Underwood, Policy and Communications, National Extension College, elizabeth.underwood@nec.ac.uk, telephone 0759 0848783.

Notes to Editors

1. In addition to Richard Dorrance and Corrinne Calloway,Trustees of the Open School Trust are: Tony Dodds (Chair), who has been involved with adult education in the UK and Africa for more than 40 years; Shiela Carlton, who worked at NIACE (the National Institute for Adult and Continuing Education) in development roles focusing on older students, family learning and science education; Peter Lavender, an Honorary Research Fellow at NIACE and awarded an OBE for services to education in 2006; and Greville Rumble, Professor of Distance Education Management who began his career with the Open University in 1970, becoming regional director for both East Anglia and the South East.

2. NEC offers more than 150 courses in subjects covering professional skills, book-keeping, education and training and creativity and the arts. Students can choose subjects that allow them to work towards GCSE, IGCSE, A level and accredited professional qualifications. Nearly half of NEC’s students are over the age of 30, and two thirds are of working age.

3. In 2013, NEC students achieved outstanding GCSE, IGCSE and ‘A’ level results. 74% of students were awarded GCSE or IGCSE grades of A* - C, compared with a national rate of 68%. 73% of NEC students were awarded grades A* - C, compared with the national rate of 53.1%. The national GCSE pass rate this year was 98.8%, but the pass rate of NEC students was 100%.