Bucks UTC Prinicpal Announces Retirement
Bev Flanagan, Principal of Buckinghamshire University Technical College (UTC), has announced her retirement on 31 July 2015, after three years in post. Bev was recruited to set up the new UTC in 2012 and has seen two full academic years and one entire cohort of students to the end of their programme.
Bev commented: “It was always my plan to do three years as Principal and it has been hugely rewarding to see the students blossom under the UTC model, which I passionately believe in. Our sponsors and particularly our employers have been outstanding and without their support, the UTC would not have been as employer focused as it currently is.
“I will be very sad to go and will miss my superb team of staff whose hard work and enthusiasm hold no bounds, but am happy that I am leaving the UTC in a good place.”
Although Bev is retiring from a permanent full time job she still hopes to use her knowledge in some capacity in the education sector.
Ruth Farwell, former Vice-Chancellor of Bucks New University and Chair of the UTC Board added: “The Board will be extremely sorry to see Bev retire. She has been an excellent Principal and we are so grateful to her for steering the UTC so ably through its set up and its first two intakes. Bev’s skills were exactly what were needed during that critical time of the UTC’s first few years in operation. Without her enthusiasm for employer engagement and her determination to adhere to that ethos, the UTC would not be as successful as it undoubtedly is in preparing young people for work.”
The UTC Board is actively managing the recruitment of Bev’s successor and is determined to recruit a person for this role who is committed to the UTC’s vision. The Board is confident that the team that Bev has put in place will provide the stability needed to ensure that there will be no loss of momentum as a new Principal is sought.