Prosper Spring
Black Country Chamber membership magazine. Business news, advice, events, training. Black Country Chamber membership magazine. Business news, advice, events, training.
PROSPER INTERVIEW Walsall’s academic with a head for business Jat Sharma CBE DL, Principal and Chief Executive of Walsall College and Board member of the Black Country Chamber, wants an ‘employer in every classroom’ – and needs our members’ help in finding them. He explains more to Prosper JAT Sharma has a simple goal: he wants an ‘employer in every classroom’ at Walsall College. “That is absolutely my focus,” he says. “Everything we do here is geared to transforming the life chances of our students, by setting them on a path to a career that they will find fulfilling and add value to society. “But to do that we need to work with employers. I’m passionate about helping vulnerable people and those who haven’t had a chance, to better themselves. Our job at the college is to bring prosperity to Walsall and the community we serve.” As to what ‘an employer in every classroom’ entails, it can be anything, Jat says: “We want business leaders to get involved with us at a level they feel comfortable. We know you are very busy, but our links with the business community are invaluable to our students. You can come in and just give a single lecture on what you do, deliver a course with us, or become one of our work placement partners – it’s up to you. However you choose to get involved, we’ll be delighted to work with you.” He has a constant need for work placement roles. “We’ve got 150 T-Level students who need work placements worth 300 hours a year and on top of that, all our Level 3 students and above need a placement, too – that’s another 1,500+. That’s a lot of employers to engage with, but we’re determined to make sure we offer all our kids the opportunities they deserve.” It’s that no-nonsense attitude that has helped him transform the college into a major player in the higher education sector, one that is hugely valued and respected both locally and further afield. “We punch well above our weight,” he says. “In a recent student survey, our courses achieved a 95% satisfaction rating. I think we’re on the right path.” The college is, in Jat’s words, “a big player in Walsall; we’ve got great links with local businesses, and with the NHS and the local authority. I like to think we’re involved in everything that goes on in the town.” ‘‘ Some of our students are pretty lively, they’re very excitable and college is strange. It’s big! But we help them settle down and find the thing they love... ‘‘ But he adds: “Walsall is a great place to live but you can’t ignore the fact that there is a lot of deprivation. We’ve got below average pay, above average physical and mental health issues, a lot of low skilled residents. It’s our job at the college to change that picture.” “What I’m most proud of is that we offer youngsters who possibly didn’t connect with ‘traditional’ education with an alternative path that might engage them better. Our courses – for 14-19-year-olds – are all vocational and cover everything from health and beauty to construction, child care to digital skills. We run highly technical T-Levels through to Level 1 qualifications for those kids who left school with poor literacy and numberacy.” It’s clear he loves the youngsters who walk through his doors. “Some of them are pretty lively, they’re very excitable and the college is really strange to them. It’s big! Some come to us from a high school where they may have been in only one or two classrooms a day, and now they’re in a big college with 11,000 students. They might have to juggle college studies with a placement, and travel into town for work. It makes them grow up quickly.” But the important thing is “we help them find the thing they love, something that will give them a career in the future. When students leave, they’ve been through the Walsall College Graduates Programme: they are skilled, they have industry knowledge and experience, they are professional and work-ready. “Best of all, they are enterprising and can add real value to employers.” You would perhaps expect a college principal to be someone steeped in the education sector but Jat has a finance background. “I qualified as an accountant and had various roles in business, mostly in the logistics sector. Mind you, I do come from a family steeped in education: my grandmother and father were teachers, so perhaps it’s in the blood!” His first foray into education came when he was asked to lead the finance team of a college that was struggling. “I put a lot of work in to turn it round but in the end, the 18 PROSPER SPRING 2023
est option was to amalgamate with a neighbouring college, so that’s what we did. “It was the best outcome for everyone involved, and I must have done something right as from there I was asked to join Walsall College to oversee its expansion programme. The build project at the time was worth around £62m, probably equivalent to about £250m now, and I’m proud it was delivered on time and on budget. “My knowledge of the finance sector helped access the funding we needed, and everyone was delighted with the outcome.” It was finalised at a time of upheaval for the college elsewhere, too. “I think we went through four principals in four years, a bit of a revolving door that did no-one any favours. I hadn’t considered putting my hand up for the role but I was encouraged to by an unusual source: the union reps. “I’d had a number of dealings with them as we discussed some redundancies, and they told me afterwards that they admired my integrity and honesty, and thought I would make an ideal candidate for the principal’s post. It encouraged me to go for the job; after all, if you walk out of some tough conversations with union reps and they’re saying they admire you, you must be doing something right!” His time as Principal has seen a lot of changes in the education sector. “As the working landscape has changed, so have we. We are constantly looking to flex our course programme to match modern needs. We can’t do this too dramatically, as we always have to keep course structures within the guidelines set out by the examining bodies, but in our ever-shifting economy it’s important the college keeps up.” An example of this are new courses in digital skills and the ‘green’ economy. “We have launched new courses in digital marketing and cyber security, and a new EV centre is being opened to prepare youngsters for jobs in the growing electric automatic sector. We will always listen to the needs of the business world and wider society.” Crucially, he says, the college always has an eye “10 years ahead, at what skills will be needed in the future.” Continued on page 20 PROSPER SPRING 2023 19
- Page 1: THE REGION’S LONGEST-RUNNING BUSI
- Page 4 and 5: CONTACTS Editor Sarah Thompson 0330
- Page 7 and 8: WELCOME As the economy continues to
- Page 10 and 11: NEWS Apprentices backed to ‘futur
- Page 12 and 13: NEWS Vishwas and Olu Students celeb
- Page 14 and 15: NEWS BCC recruitment survey underli
- Page 16 and 17: NEWS Encouraging male staff to seek
- Page 20 and 21: PROSPER INTERVIEW: JAT SHARMA “Pe
- Page 22 and 23: IN PROFILE: DAVE ROBERTS, MD, WOLVE
- Page 24 and 25: BUSINESS IS DONE BETTER TOGETHER Ma
- Page 26 and 27: BUSINESS IS DONE BETTER TOGETHER: S
- Page 28 and 29: BUSINESS IS DONE BETTER TOGETHER: W
- Page 30 and 31: BUSINESS IS DONE BETTER TOGETHER: W
- Page 32 and 33: Ground-breaking This is The Black C
- Page 34 and 35: THIS IS THE BLACK COUNTRY: RESPONSE
- Page 36 and 37: COMMERCIAL FEATURE: BUSINESS AND YO
- Page 38 and 39: BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY Nicklin s
- Page 40: EVENTS: CHAMBER EXPO Let’s Do Bus
- Page 43 and 44: army of technical partners. “This
- Page 45 and 46: ‘‘ In the event of a customer i
- Page 47 and 48: ‘‘ “It is wrong to say that t
- Page 49 and 50: making workplace cultures more age
- Page 51 and 52: LGVs queue to enter the docks at Do
- Page 53 and 54: See you Third Week Wednesday! Each
- Page 55 and 56: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING
- Page 58 and 59: COMMERCIAL FEATURE: ART BUSINESS LO
est option was to amalgamate with a<br />
neighbouring college, so that’s what we did.<br />
“It was the best outcome for everyone<br />
involved, and I must have done something<br />
right as from there I was asked to join<br />
Walsall College to oversee its expansion<br />
programme. The build project at the time<br />
was worth around £62m, probably equivalent<br />
to about £250m now, and I’m proud it was<br />
delivered on time and on budget.<br />
“My knowledge of the finance sector<br />
helped access the funding we needed, and<br />
everyone was delighted with the outcome.”<br />
It was finalised at a time of upheaval for<br />
the college elsewhere, too. “I think we went<br />
through four principals in four years, a bit of<br />
a revolving door that did no-one any<br />
favours. I hadn’t considered putting my<br />
hand up for the role but I was encouraged<br />
to by an unusual source: the union reps.<br />
“I’d had a number of dealings with them<br />
as we discussed some redundancies, and<br />
they told me afterwards that they admired<br />
my integrity and honesty, and thought I<br />
would make an ideal candidate for the<br />
principal’s post. It encouraged me to go for<br />
the job; after all, if you walk out of some<br />
tough conversations with union reps and<br />
they’re saying they admire you, you must<br />
be doing something right!”<br />
His time as Principal has seen a lot of<br />
changes in the education sector. “As<br />
the working landscape has changed,<br />
so have we. We are constantly looking<br />
to flex our course programme to<br />
match modern needs. We can’t do<br />
this too dramatically, as we always<br />
have to keep course structures<br />
within the guidelines set out by<br />
the examining bodies, but in our<br />
ever-shifting economy it’s<br />
important the college keeps up.”<br />
An example of this are new<br />
courses in digital skills and the<br />
‘green’ economy. “We have<br />
launched new courses in digital<br />
marketing and cyber security, and a new EV<br />
centre is being opened to prepare<br />
youngsters for jobs in the growing electric<br />
automatic sector. We will always listen to the<br />
needs of the business world and wider<br />
society.”<br />
Crucially, he says, the college always has<br />
an eye “10 years ahead, at what skills will be<br />
needed in the future.”<br />
Continued on page 20<br />
PROSPER SPRING 2023 19
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