About Us
With more than 5,000 students, over 300 courses and an extensive range of subject areas and qualifications, we’re one of the largest and leading providers of education and training in Liverpool and Merseyside.
About Hugh Baird College
Expect state-of-the-art learning spaces and outstanding support alongside exceptional teaching and unique industry connections, as part of every course at Hugh Baird College.
We deliver courses across an extensive range of provisions, from 14-16 year olds and apprenticeships, to A-levels, university levels courses and adult learning, with dedicated campuses and employment-focused results.
Our purpose-built, multi-million pound L20 building houses our University Centre, whilst South Sefton Campus is home to our dedicated Sixth Form Centre. We also have a specialist hotel school and flagship restaurant, industry-focused hubs, and a unique enterprise village with a salon, florist, café and gym. All of our exceptional facilities are enhanced with the incredible personal support we offer to every one of our students.
Parents, Guardians & Carers
Each of our courses is focused on getting our students ready for work, and our latest Ofsted report reinforces our commitment to high quality teaching and the outcomes for our learners.
Student Life at Hugh Baird College
College is about more than just learning. We’re proud of the exceptional support we offer and the opportunities our students can enjoy during their time with us.
Centres of Excellence
Our outstanding facilities and dedicated, state-of-the-art buildings are spread across several campuses, each with its own unique educational focus.
Located across two campuses; Balliol Road Campus and South Sefton Campus, our Further Educaiton provision provides a wide range of vocational subjects and A-levels.
Helping students to embrace a different way of learning away from school, our 14-16 College gives students a head-start on their career.
Our purpose built L20 Building is home to our University Centre, where students benefit from a unique environment to study for degree-level qualifications.
Our Business Development team advise, coordinate and deliver apprenticeships, training and funding options to employers across the Liverpool City Region and beyond.
Key Partnerships
The partnerships we forge with local employers, regional industries and leading institutions help us to continually provide exceptional teaching, outstanding facilities and unique courses.
We work closely with the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership to ensure the content of our courses keep up with the growing areas of opportunity and employment.
The University of Central Lancashire is a world class institution and one of the partner universities for our higher education courses.
As one of the newest and most exciting concepts in education, Career Colleges is focused on providing more opportunities for students from age 14 onwards.
CITB is the Industry Training Board for the construction industry and a partner in ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council.
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Yana Williams
Principal & Chief Executive
Yana started her career as a Sports Lecturer at Knowsley Community College before moving on to middle and senior management at a number of Colleges across the North West and North Wales. In January 2012, Yana was appointed Principal and Chief Executive at Hugh Baird College. She is responsible for the overall strategic and operational management of the College. Externally, she is the Chair of the Association of Colleges North West Committee and a board member of the Association of Colleges.
David Rigby
Vice Principal - Curriculum & Quality
David has overall strategic responsibility for the delivery of the College's quality initiatives, including overseeing the work of the academic Directors in relation to quality matters. His key responsibilities include managing the College's quality improvement strategies, the deployment of the Teaching and Learning and leading on ensuring that the College is fully prepared for the new short-notice Ofsted inspection.
Cath Sullivan
Vice Principal - People, Organisational Development & Culture
Cath is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, with over 25 years’ experience in various sectors. She joined Hugh Baird College in May 2012 having previously been Head of Human Resources for Leeds City Council. Cath is accountable for the provision of Student Services, Learner Support, Learning Resources, Marketing & Admissions and HR.
Matt Larkin
Vice Principal - Finance & Corporate Services
Matt is a Chartered Accountant who joined the College in April 2015. He has held a variety of roles including senior finance roles at a large charity and a national firm of estate agents and as an external auditor. Taking overall responsibility for managing the finances of the College, he also oversees key support areas, including MIS, ICT and Services.
Pat Farrell
Corporate & Capital Development
After having previously worked part time at two other colleges, Pat joined Hugh Baird College in 1987 as a full-time lecturer. He progressed through different roles, including Head of School, to the post of Vice Principal - Estates and Resource Development. Pat’s current area of responsibility is Capital Estates Development which includes major refurbishment projects as well as new building developments, together with responsibility for Health and Safety.
Vicky Edwards
Assistant Principal - Technical Skills
Vicky joined the College in 1998 as a part time Lecturer whilst managing and owning successful hair and beauty salons, as well as operating a property development and management company. Vicky’s key drive lies in providing improved life chances through quality education. Vicky has undertaken a number of different roles in the College including; Curriculum Leader, Senior Tutor, Senior Practitioner - Pastoral and Assistant Director for Teaching and Learning before becoming Assistant Principal in 2017.
Natalie Blackmore
Assistant Principal - Life Skills & Young People
Natalie joined the College in 2005 as a Community Development Worker and subsequently trained as a Teacher. She delivered maths to adults both at the College and within the community. She has been part of the management team for over five years in various roles such as; Senior Practitioner, Assistant Director for Quality and Director of Languages, Maths and Adult Studies before becoming Assistant Principal in 2018.
Colette Mawdsley
Dean of Higher Education & Access
Colette is responsible for the strategic leadership with operational management of the Hugh Baird University Centre, with a clear focus on quality and demand led growth, ensuring the student experience is at the heart of everything they do.
Joe Poole
Director of South Sefton Campus
Joe joined the College in August 2018 as Director of South Sefton Campus. Prior to this Joe worked for 4 years as Assistant Principal at a Sixth Form College in Manchester. Joe has a legal background, qualifying as a Solicitor within an international commercial law firm in 2008, before making the move into education to teach A-level Law.
Alun Owen
Director of Curriculum (Young People)
Alun has worked in Further Education since managing his own small tourist-based business overseas. He worked in Southport College and Warrington Collegiate before starting his career in education management. As a manager at Hugh Baird College, he has managed the Learner Support team and took part in establishing Thornton College. Alun currently leads the team in the 14-16 College.
Lynn Masterton
Director of Business Engagement
Lynn had worked for 17 years as an Accountant before joining Further Education as a Teacher. She progressed to various roles such as: Advanced Teaching Practitioner, Head of Business, Head of Humanities, Accounting, ICT and Management. Lynn joined the College in 2016 as an Assistant Director of Quality (Construction and Engineering) before becoming Director of Business Engagement in 2017.
Christine Snape
Director of Foundation Learning
Christine moved into Further Education following a successful career as a manager in the Early Years sector. After several roles in the College, with a focus on quality and teaching and learning, Christine was appointed Head of Thornton College and SLDD, which she manages with a passion to ensure that all students develop independence and life-enhancing skills.
Victoria Wickington
Director of Quality
Victoria joined Hugh Baird College as Head of Quality in 2016 before becoming Director of Quality in 2018. She has worked in Further Education for over 15 years, qualifying as a teacher of ICT in 2005. She has held various teaching and leadership positions over her career, with the current focus of improving quality across the wide ranging provision at the College.
David Crosby
Chair of Governors
David spent over 30 years in operations, quality and human resources management with the Royal Mail Group, starting with Royal Mail Engineering Services and progressing to senior management positions with Vehicle Services. He set up my own business as a management consultant in 2003 working alongside a number of blue chip organisations, providing advice and assessment services.
Mark Robinson
Vice Chair of Governors
Mark has experience of working in many different industry sectors including; Retail Finance (Barclays Bank LC), Heavy Engineering (Network Rail) and Food Retail (Somerfield/The Co-operative Food). He is currently working as a HR Business Partner to three Regional Managers, with the prime focus being on Colleague Engagement, Customer Service and Leadership Development.
Yana Williams
Principal & Chief Executive
Yana started her career as a Sports Lecturer at Knowsley Community College before moving on to middle and senior management at a number of Colleges across the North West and North Wales. In January 2012, Yana was appointed Principal and Chief Executive at Hugh Baird College. She is responsible for the overall strategic and operational management of the College. Externally, she is the Chair of the Association of Colleges North West Committee and a board member of the Association of Colleges.
Pamela Brown
Governor
Pamela is chairman, director, trustee or committee member of many organisations, as well as being consulted frequently by many organisations across the country on maritime events. She was appointed to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire as a Member (MBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours List 1999 for services to the Friends of the Merseyside Maritime Museum.
Colette Mawdsley
Dean of Higher Education & Access
Colette is responsible for the strategic leadership with operational management of the Hugh Baird University Centre, with a clear focus on quality and demand led growth, ensuring the student experience is at the heart of everything they do.
Beverley Rice
Governor
Beverley is a Chartered Accountant, Chartered Tax Advisor and Statutory Auditor. She trained with an international firm of accountants and set up her own practice at the end of 2002 which now has three offices across Merseyside.
Mark McManus
Governor
Mark has 28 years’ experience in IT, with roles including, PC Engineer, Network Engineer, Network Specialist, Network Manager, IT Consultant, Pre-Sales Consultant and IT Business Development Manager. Mark's key areas of focus are; understanding organisational requirements (through gap analysis) and providing IT solutions; writing business and financial proposals and helping organisations understand IT services in a business context.
Mark Whelan
Governor
Mark has 20 years' experience in Financial Services and was appointed as National Sales Manager for Jaguar Land Rover Financial Services in January 2014. He manages a team of 9; responsible for £1.4bn of retail finance and £1bn of stock funding across a network of 120 retailers introducing 48k customers to the business each year.
Christina Donovan
Governor
Christina has been working in the education sector for the past 7 years. She has worked for several Colleges in the North West in a variety of roles including Learning Support, Student Services, Student Voice and a Students’ Union Coordinator. During her time the Students' Union, she won the NUS Green Impact Award for Environmental Innovation.
Geraldine Sloan
Governor
Geraldine is a Chartered Accountant who runs her own business. She trained and qualified with PricewaterhouseCoopers. She specialises in the not-for-profit sectors, working with education, charity and pensions clients.
Dr Mike Homfray
Governor
Dr. Mike Homfray has a PhD in Sociology from the University of Liverpool and has worked as a sessional associate lecturer at a range of higher education institutions. He is involved in equality and diversity issues and is currently chair of the Sefton Equalities Partnership, a trustee at Sefton CVS and co-chair of Sefton Embrace.
Judith Simmons
Governor
Judith studied at the Universities of Sheffield and Liverpool before teaching chemistry and physics at Litherland High School where she subsequently spent over 20 years as Deputy Headteacher. Judith is passionate about education and its role in the development of young people and the wider community. She is a proud member of Crosby Macmillan Cancer Support Committee for many years.
Andrew Gibbons
Governor
Andrew is an experienced senior manager within the telecommunications sector with experience in strategy, planning and leading large operational units. Some of his key expertise includes: business planning, manpower planning, leadership of large organisations and contracts, management information and analysis. He went to school in Bootle and went on to achieve a BA(Hons) Degree in Business Management and an MBA.
Ross Dawson
Governor
Ross Dawson is a Senior Lecturer in English at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) where he has worked as an academic since 1994. For many years he acted as a Link Tutor for LJMU validated degree programmes at two colleges. Before coming to Liverpool, he completed his postgraduate work and taught at Purdue University, Indiana, USA.
Jodie McCormick
Staff Governor - Academic
Jodie is a former student of the college, studying Beauty Therapy Level 2 and 3. She went on to have a successful career in the beauty industry at various well known salons. Jodie returned to complete her Certificate in Education and became a member of staff. Jodie is now the Curriculum Coordinator for Beauty Therapy and Media Make up.
Kevin Rice
Staff Governor – Business Support
Having graduated from university, Kevin began his career with HMRC before progressing to work in the Finance and Marketing departments of two US-based manufacturing companies, which involved extensive travel across Europe and North Africa. Kevin moved back to Merseyside and took on the role of Technical Assistant at the college before progressing to his current role of Project Accountant.
