FE College Audit Committee Member

United Colleges Group (UCG) is looking for a Corporation Member to join the Audit Committee.

United Colleges Group, formed by the merger of City of Westminster College and the College of North West London in August 2017, is based at the heart of the Further Education and skills sector in London. UCG's aims are to build on a common purpose to provide high-quality post-16 and adult education and skills training. The focus is on delivery to raise the educational and vocational attainment for young people and the skill levels of adults, working in partnership with schools, colleges, universities, borough councils and employers to secure benefits across London and within our local communities. At our most recent Ofsted inspection in December 2024, UCG was graded as Good overall and rated as making a strong contribution to meeting local skills needs, the highest possible rating.

UCG provides education to over 12,000 learners a year, including 16-18-year-olds, adults, apprentices, and students with high needs. With an annual turnover of around £59m, we are one of the top 20 largest college groups in the UK. We offer education and training in almost all vocational areas at a variety of levels for a wide range of learners of all ages and starting points.

UCG attracts students from across London and beyond. In the academic year 2024/25, we enrolled more than 3600 full time 16-18 students, 7,000 adult learners. 250+ HE learners and over 450 apprentices. Education is delivered through 6 sites in central and North West London. Many learners, including one third of young learners, start at entry level or level 1 and come from vulnerable backgrounds.

We believe that one of our greatest strengths as an organisation is the diversity in every sense of our staff, students and governors which is reflective of our communities, and we are working hard to create opportunities to ensure that those diverse voices are heard and contribute towards improving the experience of all our stakeholders.

UCG works with key partners such as Business London, West London Alliance and Central London Forward to ensure our education and skills offer meets the needs of students, employers and other stakeholders. We work with an incredibly wide range of employers to provide clear routes to the world of work for our students, enhance the curriculum and skills that we offer and ensure that we meet and anticipate the needs of industry.

UCG is also embarking upon a significant period of property redevelopment to transform the college estates across North West London to attract the students of the future and provide the best learning environments for generations to come. A new campus building is planned for Wembley which we anticipate completing in 2028.

More information about United College's Group is included in its College Plan and Accountability Agreementon UCG's website.

As a Corporation Member you will be closely involved in UCG's development and have direct influence on its strategic direction and overall outcome. The ideal candidate will be an auditor or chartered accountant, with experience of working at a senior level at a similar sized organisation. Knowledge in areas such as risk management, cybersecurity and health and safety would be advantageous. As would an interest in how Further Education furthers the careers and life chances of adults and young people.

Although this is an unpaid role, rewards come in the form of being an intrinsic part of the strategic thinking and decision-making, which will deliver life-changing opportunities for our young people and adults to enable them to make a significant contribution to the world of work and society.

The committee meetings are in the evenings, on Zoom with the main Board meeting in person at the Paddington Campus. The time commitment is approximately equivalent to one day per month. Further information including the role description and person specification are included below.

Applicants should provide a copy of their CV with a covering letter setting out why they are interested in the role and what attributes they feel they can bring to it. United Colleges Group is an Equal Opportunities employer. All governors are required to complete an enhanced DBS check on appointment.