Meet our speakers!

Keynote speaker: TBC

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Guest speaker: Mick Lochran, Board Member of the Lincolnshire Institute of Technology

Mick is currently the CEO for the Lincolnshire Institute of Technology which is a collaboration of all the Further Education Colleges in Lincolnshire, Lincoln University Technical College and the University of Lincoln and chairs the Apprentice Oversight Group at the University of Lincoln.

Mick recently retired as CEO of DN Colleges Group (North Lindsey and Doncaster Colleges) which was an atypical college with significantly greater Higher Education and Apprenticeship provision than the average college, underpinned by outstanding employer engagement. By adopting this mixed economy strategy, supported through outstanding leadership (Ofsted 2022), the Group was able to thrive in a sector under considerable financial and policy pressures.

Mick is particularly passionate about employer engagement and during his career has worked with hundreds of employers to develop mutually beneficial partnerships between employers and education providers.

Guest speaker: Sharon Kirby, Higher Education Academic Lead at Riseholme College, Land-Based

Sharon is a member of the Higher Education Faculty leading up the Land-Based department. A farmer’s daughter from Yorkshire, but now residing in Lincolnshire, Sharon has worked for the college for over 25 years and has recently been in receipt of a long service award.

Sharon began her teaching journey at Caythorpe Court Campus, when it was part of the Lincolnshire School of Agriculture, and then helped oversee the transition of the curriculum and resources when they moved to the Riseholme Campus in 2002. Sharon has a real interest in getting young people into agriculture from a non-traditional route. Sharon sits on the Lincolnshire branch of the institute of Agricultural Managers. Away from work she can be seen walking her two terriers, riding or volunteering at a variety of local and national events.