Q&A Meet the new CEO & Principal

Q. What was Lisa’s previous role and what did she achieve?

Lisa Capper MBE will join the Sandwell Family of Colleges on Monday November 4th, from Stoke on Trent College. At Stoke, she was instrumental in transforming the quality of provision and the financial health of the College securing significant partnerships and profile for its continued success. This included national awards for learner voice and services, £19.7m capital, outstanding financial health and a significant increase in learner and apprentice enrolments and turnover. The Skills Ready Future Ready strategy, the College’s sector-skills hubs, partnerships with employers, the Institute of Technology and local universities meant that 96% of young people progressed to positive destinations.

Q. Lisa, where does your passion lie?

“I have always worked with young people and adults who have not had the best opportunities in their academic careers or the best life chances. There are far too many young people who are NEET in the West Midlands, and Further Education Colleges are well placed to engage and support young people to be who they want to be. Much of my experience at Nacro – the social justice and education charity – where I worked as Principal leading its national Further Education Programme, showed that given the right opportunity and support, young people can thrive and find the things that makes them tick and achieve. Similarly, unemployed adults aged 19+ and those adults in low-skilled work need to have the opportunity to improve their prospects, up-skill and form the pipeline of higher skilled colleagues, equipping the region to meet the economic challenges ahead.

Encouraging young people to be ambitious for themselves in what they can achieve is part of the ethos of the Sandwell Family of Colleges and will form part of our forwarding messaging moving forward.

Q. What do you want to achieve whilst leading the Sandwell Family of Colleges?

“I am looking forward to leading the Sandwell Family of Colleges through the next phase of their journey to help even more young people, adults and employers alike to achieve their skills ambitions and to develop their careers. Building on the success to date, and the great work of colleagues, the Sandwell Family of Colleges will be a shining beacon for success in the West Midlands. said Lisa.

“The Colleges have a vital role to play in helping to build the skills and expertise needed for prosperity in Sandwell, its 6 towns, and the local areas, and as part of the City region. We want to be an excellent partner to commissioners, employers and other education providers to achieve even more opportunity for the people living in these areas. The quality of our offerings, along with fantastic capital developments and partnerships – such as those with Sandwell and Midland Metropolitan Hospital and employers like hydraPower Dynamics – are vital to our role in delivering on the skills agenda.

She added, “I hope that I can use my skills and experience from elsewhere, build on the current achievements, and support the team in achieving its ambition, and that of the local areas and West Midlands.”

Q. What are you looking forward to?

“I am really looking forward to getting to know the committed staff and understanding their talents and aspirations, and to meeting our learners and all they bring to the Colleges. I am keen to meet partners and employers alongside colleagues, and can’t wait to see all that we will collectively achieve together.”

Q. Where has Lisa worked before joining Stoke on Trent College?

Prior to being Principal at Nacro and Totton College, she was Vice Principal for Schools of North Warks and Hinckley College and Director of an Academies Trust. Previously, Lisa joined the senior civil service as a specialist in Further Education for over 10 years at the Department for Education. Here she led on key aspects of the Adult Literacy and Numeracy Skills for Life initiative and stayed to develop the Commission on Adult Vocational Education, National Skills Academies and led the prestigious WorldSkills London 2011 for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (DBIS), for which she won the Permanent Secretary’s award. This year she was a finalist for the Business Woman of the Year 2024.

She was an Independent Governor of De Montfort University and until recently the Chair of the National Deaf Children’s Society. In January 2021 she was awarded the MBE for Services to Young People.

Alan Taylor, Chair of the Governing Board at Sandwell said:

“Lisa brings extensive experience of senior leadership and governance in Further Education, and through the roles she has led in colleges, charities and in government, a demonstrable commitment to the learners we serve. We are delighted to welcome Lisa to the Sandwell Family of Colleges and look forward to what she will achieve with the team.

Lisa said: “I am committed to working closely with the staff team and build on the Colleges’ successes and will lead the delivery of the next phase of the journey with our partners and governors to promote our core College values.”