My further education journey has not necessarily taken a linear path, but it is one where the journey has been just as important as the destination.

My path into further education came through a teaching route when I decided to apply for one of the first PGCEs at the UCL Institute of Education. I began as a lecturer in London, where I taught all sorts of things. My primary focus was on English, but that led to stints teaching history, film, and even a logistics class for plumbers-the precise reason I was chosen for the latter escapes me. 

I have worked in 12 different FE colleges throughout my career, each with its unique opportunities and challenges. In retrospect, I can see commonalities with the types of colleges that I gravitated towards. To a greater or lesser extent, almost all were in a rebuilding and recovery phase when I joined. It was never a pre-mediated notion that I would move on once a college’s upward trajectory had become self-sustaining, but that’s often how things worked out.

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By having that broad range of experience in many different types of colleges, I was privileged to meet and know some inspiring and dedicated leaders. I have worked with leaders who were expert at communicating a vision, building an inclusive culture, and engaging with students and stakeholders. I have been fortunate to draw upon the best attributes of a range of talented leaders, who have greatly influenced me throughout my career.

College leadership: four key lessons

One of the realities I found upon taking on the role of a principal is that nothing can totally prepare you for the unexpected challenges of the position. However, one thing that really proved essential for me was my experience in taking responsibility for different aspects of a college’s operations. While I started in curriculum-based roles, I transitioned to student services, which allowed me to understand a broader range of what a college does, including its human resources and facilities management functions. I think that broad range of experience allowed me to appreciate the breadth of what colleges do, and this proved essential over the long run.

Ultimately, there is no one way of running a college, but there are a few key lessons that are universal and that can be applied across different contexts:

• Ensuring that leaders focus on building the culture of a college is essential. This is important over the short and the long term and will make a real difference to the success of a college. When I started at the Sheffield College, I made a conscious effort to ensure that students were at the heart of our culture and that we placed the interests of students front and centre.
• Leaders need to ensure that they trust their senior team and can delegate. No one person can do everything within a college, so leaders need to empower their people to get on with the job and deliver.
• Having a large network can be incredibly valuable in providing a space to test ideas or get informal support.
• The power and value of practising a style of leadership that is authentic to the individual is critically important. Being yourself and leading in a fun, honest and sincere way is essential for any aspiring leader.

I have greatly valued my time in further education, and I believe strongly in the power of colleges to transform lives through learning and deliver life-changing opportunities. My journey in further education has been an incredible experience, and I am looking forward to the road still left to travel.

This blog is based on a talk given as part of the Collab Group Leadership Programme.

Angela Foulkes is the chief executive and principal at the Sheffield College.