Tyne Coast College offers a new and exciting vision for education and training in the North East.
Our diverse and innovative vocationally-driven curriculum, close links to employers and ambition to deliver outstanding provision, puts students on a clear course to academic attainment and career success.
Created from a merger of South Tyneside College and Tyne Metropolitan College, our programmes meet the skills needs of this region and strongly support economic growth and prosperity.
We cut across geographical boundaries, and our guiding vision - to provide education that is outstanding - creates opportunity for all to succeed, personally and professionally.
Working from key campuses and locations, we offer students an almost unlimited range of vocational and technical qualifications, as well as an outstanding framework of A levels and sports opportunities.
Incorporating the former South Tyneside and Tyne Metropolitan colleges, our key brands also include South Shields Marine School, recognised as one of the worlds foremost maritime training centres, and Queen Alexandra Campus, which specialises in A level provision.
Our other specialist support includes Career College North East, a pioneering programme for 14 to 16-year-olds to learn engineering, advanced manufacturing, computer science or marine; TMC Campus, a specialist in construction crafts; IGNITE Centre for Engineering & Innovation; the Marine and Offshore Safety Training Centre (MOST), a UK-leading offshore training facility; and Creative Studios, which feature state-of-the-art equipment and expert teaching in fine art, drama and theatre studies, film studies, graphic design, media, photography, and fashion and textiles.
Overall, this provides an unbeatable offer to our 15,000 full and part-time students.
Ever alert to the needs of business and industry, we are aligned to the SMART Specialisation themes for the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, the emerging Northern Powerhouse priorities, the Governments focus on increased apprenticeship provision and adult skills, and the new International Advanced Manufacturing Park.
Our mission, vision and values drive our delivery of first-class provision and show a clear commitment of support to all students equally.
With a mission to provide outstanding educational opportunities, we will benefit learners and the communities we serve. Doing so will satisfy our vision to grow further as a world-class educational facility, operating with a focus that develops the potential of all.
Following these paths will allow us to play a key role in ensuring the long-term prosperity of our region, through the creation of skills that drive economic growth.
Our values are clear:
Alongside these are key principles, such as being robust so that we can affect change - working to align to the North East LEP priorities is key to this - and being positioned to influence and further shape the skills agenda in partnership with employers and business and funding bodies.
We also aim to:
Dr Lindsey Whiterod CBE places innovation in education and an understanding of how curriculums must be shaped to meet the needs of industry and employers as well as students, as policy priorities.
Her clear understanding of the link between education and training and the workplace to influence economic growth, was central to the rapid rise in standards at South Tyneside College, where she was Chief Executive prior to the founding of Tyne Coast College.
It was here that Dr Whiterods resolute and forward-thinking approach to provision ensured courses, and resulting qualifications, targeted real jobs, a policy that won the approval of many within the North East business community, as well as education inspectorate Ofsted. It also led to the college being named the best in the country and the best for overall provision of Further Education at the prestigious TES FE Awards 2017.
Such was her influence on its academic resurgence, that she was made an OBE for services to education in the New Years Honours List in 2013, and later made a CBE in the New Year's Honours List in 2018.
Her achievements included overseeing capital refurbishment and estate rationalisation programmes of over £21m, part of which was a £4.5m upgrade to the world-famous South Shields Marine School, an improved Ofsted grading of good, and the creation of the Multi Academy Trust model whose successes include sponsoring a failing primary school, supporting its progress to be one of the most improved schools in the country.
Her new vision for Tyne Coast College sees continued innovation across specialisms, the increased targeting of links between the college and businesses to support the regions economic growth and prosperity, and the further development of a learning environment that inspires students to success.
Jane Cuthbertson, who is Chief Operating Officer for Tyne Coast College and Tyne Coast Academy Trust, has worked across public and private sector organisations in client and contractor environments.
Today, she oversees the college and the trusts finances to ensure their strong financial health and solvency.
She is involved in various professional bodies within her sector of expertise, including the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), of which she is a former regional president.
Nationally, she is an elected member of CIPFA Council and vice chair of its Remuneration Committee, and she is also an independent Council member for the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT).
Jane holds an MSc in Public Services Management, and is a Fellow member of CIPFA and a member of the AAT.
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Simon Ashton has journeyed far in his career since beginning his nautical studies as a marine cadet, sponsored by Shell Tankers, at South Shields Marine School in 1993. He qualified as a Deck Officer and a Marine Engineering officer four years later, also with Shell, and then switched course by joining Princess Cruises and later P&O Ferries. Always seeking greater professional expertise, Simon continued to study at the marine school during periods of leave and achieved a Master Mariners qualification in 2005, which allowed him to sail in the rank of Captain.
In 2006 he joined the marine school as a lecturer, and in 2010 he was promoted to Head of Department for Deck Officer of the Watch programmes. His dedication to improving Deck Officer of the Watch programmes led the marine school to become the leading maritime college in the country.
Simon became Assistant Principal in 2016 - the same year he attained a First Class Honours Degree, BA in Applied Management - Deputy Principal in 2018, and Principal in April 2020. He also sits on the main board of the Merchant Navy Training Board, which determines the structure and strategy for UK maritime training.
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Lynsey joined Tyne Coast in 2022 as our Director of Business Engagement, Partnerships and Apprenticeships. She brings over 20 years’ experience working in Further Education and led on the strategic development of apprenticeships and business engagement for a number of providers and colleges.
As a learning and development senior specialist, she has an acute understanding of the training needs of businesses and how employers directly influence and shape curriculum.
She is now leading on driving forward our apprenticeship provision and developing and nurturing our employer and partnership relationships
Coming soon.
Lorraine Schapiras dynamic approach and creative eye has underlined a consistently innovative and fresh approach to marketing across Tyne Coast Colleges brands.
She delivers powerfully persuasive strategies through a highly colourful and visually striking artistic language that always places students at the heart of the message.
Experienced in public relations and marketing, Lorraine ran her own communications and media business which specialised in working with education and training providers, for 10 years.
Her relationship with Tyne Coast College began when appointed outside marketing lead at South Tyneside College in 2013, which allowed her to use her wide range of media contacts and networks to great effect.
Highly motivated, she became Tyne Coast Colleges Head of Marketing upon its founding in August 2017, and has since led a series of effective marketing campaigns which have maximised its reputation.
Sabrina has had an illustrious career within education for over 10 years, with a number of sort after accolades and qualifications she has put to good within her varied roles.
After completing her degree in English Language and creative writing, she went on to complete a Master in English Literature at Durham University, while also completing a PGCE at Teesside University.
Sabrina, who joined Tyne Coast College in 2022 as Director of Maths and English, began her teaching career in 2012 working with Adults and A Levels teaching them English, and has since worked in every vocational department coordinating the curriculum for English and Maths. After completing a Level 5 in teaching numeracy, she moved three underperforming departments into outstanding providers for English and maths.
She became a leading practitioner for education in 2016 and became a Teaching and Learning Mentor for English and Maths, creating and researching the CPD for over 600 staff. In 2018 she became a Digital Champion for Higher Education programmes and a Microsoft Innovator Educator Expert, working directly with Microsoft communities to release and explore new features specifically for colleges.
Craig Scott's impressive track record of success across estates management and project delivery at Tyne Coast College and its brands has gone from strength to strength over two decades.
He began in management information systems (MIS) as a report writer in 2000 and by 2008 had been both IT systems manager and head of IT.
In 2014 Craig took responsibility for the management of the halls of residence at South Tyneside College (STC) - also overseeing catering and cleaning - and by 2015 he had taken the halls to Ofsted-rated 'Outstanding'.
Three years later he was appointed to his present post, which sees him lead on college estates, health and safety, MIS and libraries, and he is also Tyne Coast Colleges Prevent nominated person.
A highlight of his work was the IT management of the merger of STC and Tyne Metropolitan College, which created Tyne Coast College in 2017.
Catherine Donnelly brings vast HR experience and expertise to a role which is crucial to supporting Tyne Coast Colleges senior management structure.
She specialises in embedding successful organisational culture change, something mastered during almost 30 years of working in the private and public sectors.
Catherine joined South Tyneside College in 2010, and now heads a six-strong team which manages the HR side of operations at Tyne Coast College, delivering people-centred solutions to business objectives.Join a passionate and dynamic team. We really care about making Tyne Coast College a vibrant, outstanding college. There couldnt be a more exciting time to help us reshape Tyne Coast College for the challenges and opportunities ahead. Almost 500 people work hard to make our College the success it is, from invigilators joining us for a few hours a year, through flexible part-time work to many full-time academic and support roles. If you share our passion for challenging, improving and making our college the best it can be, wed love to hear from you. Click here to view our current job vacancies.
