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This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007

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Appointments to SFEFC

25/03/2003

Five new members have been appointed to the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC). Two members have also been re-appointed for a second term.

The posts are part time and currently attract a remuneration of £5,031 per annum for a time commitment of approximately 2 days per month. All 7 appointees take up appointments which run from 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2007.

SFEFC was established as a non-departmental public body (NDPB) in 1999 under the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992. It has a total expenditure of approximately £450 million for 2002-03, which it allocates to Scotland's Further Education Colleges in line with Ministerial guidance.

The Council operates within a framework agreed with the Scottish Ministers. It seeks to develop the contribution of further education to Scotland's success, by funding learning opportunities that enable students to achieve personal, social and economic goals, and by supporting the sector to earn a world class reputation.

Welcoming the announcement, Lifelong Learning Minister Iain Gray said:

"I am delighted to see that the SFEFC board will be able to draw on the experiences of people from a variety of sectors - in both education and business. This Executive is committed to increasing expertise in further education and training and these appointments reflect this.

"We want Scotland to have a modern, vibrant, sustainable economy. To achieve this we need to concentrate our efforts on our most valuable resource - our people. Making sure that they have the right skills and access to the right training is a vital part of our economic strategy and much of this is delivered through our excellent further education sector.

"I am sure that the appointments being made today will ensure that the sector goes from strength to strength."

The new appointments are:

Mervyn Jones has worked for BP since 1981, starting in Oil Trading and Supply in London. He has held a number of different positions with business responsibilities and is currently a Senior Advisor with responsibility for Social Investment Strategy, Government and external representation. He has been involved in the development of a number of partnership programmes to enhance aspiration and attainment of further education and is particularly interested in the links between education and industry. Mr Jones is a board member of Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley, Chairman of Grangemouth Development Group and a board member of TTE (Scotland) Ltd. Mr Jones holds no other Ministerial appointments. Mr Jones has no declared political activity in the past 5 years.

Kenryck Lloyd-Jones is currently employed by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy as Policy Officer for Scotland. Prior to this he was the Scottish Affairs Officer for the National Union of Students. The majority of his career has been spent understanding and articulating the student perspective and he was involved in the Dearing Inquiry into Higher Education, the Cubie Committee of Inquiry into Student Finance and the Enterprise Committee's Inquiry into Lifelong Learning. Mr Lloyd-Jones holds no other Ministerial appointments. Mr Lloyd-Jones declared political activity on behalf of the Labour Party within the last 5 years.

Jennifer Rees is Executive Director of Corporate Planning at Glasgow Caledonian University. She has held senior management positions in further and higher education institutions with broad experience in planning, strategy, governance, quality assurance and the articulation routes between further and higher education. She is a board member of Glasgow College of Food Technology and a board member of Penumbra, a mental health charity. Dr Rees holds no other Ministerial appointments. Dr Rees declared no political activity during the past 5 years.

Ian Murning is Principal of a small private practice firm of chartered surveyors. He worked for many years in the Valuation Office and then the Valuation Office Agency where he has gained considerable experience in strategic estates management. Since 1994 he has lectured in Estate Management at Napier University. He has a legal qualification and spent 35 years in the Territorial Army, retiring from the active list of the army in 1997 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He also serves as Governor of George Watson's College, Edinburgh. Mr Murning holds no other Ministerial appointments. Mr Murning declared no political activity during the past 5 years.

Rosalind Micklem is the Principal of Cardonald College in Glasgow, where she has been heavily involved in the promotion of the Widening Access Agenda. This is reflected in her position as Chair of the West of Scotland Wider Access Forum. She also has an extensive personal involvement in the Greater Pollok Social Inclusion Partnership. Ms Micklem holds no other Ministerial appointments. Ms Micklem declared no political activity in the past 5 years.

The re-appointed members are:

John Gray is a former Group Finance Director of Scottish Hydro-Electric. He is currently the Chairman of Coatbridge College Board of Management and is a Director of The Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research and Atlantic Salmon Trust Ltd. He is also a member of the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council. This is a Ministerial appointment and is remunerated at £5,031 per annum. Mr Gray declared no political activity in the past 5 years.

Alan Tripp is a chartered accountant and former Senior Vice President, of Sykes Enterprises Inc. He is also a board member of the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council. This is a Ministerial appointment and is remunerated at £5,031 per annum. He is a member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel. This is also a Ministerial appointment and is remunerated at £335 per day. He also acts as an independent director in the private sector. Mr Tripp declared no political activity in the past 5 years.

These Ministerial Public Appointments were made in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. An Independent Assessor was involved in the selection process.

Page updated: Wednesday, July 21, 2004