Women's Leadership Network - about us
The WLN Steering Group
The WLN national steering group meets five or six times a year. The group sets and monitors the direction of our activities and is chaired by Sally Dicketts, Principal of Oxford and Cherwell Valley College.
Our current membership comprises principals of general FE colleges, sixth form colleges, LSIS and two professional associations. The group wishes to extend its membership and to encourage younger members and second and third tier senior managers. Members have to be working at a member organisation of the WLN.
Aims of the Women’s Leadership Network
The WLN is a member-based organisation which aims to develop a strong, dynamic and influential network of female leaders, to offer professional support and to promote equality of opportunity throughout the FE and learning and skills sector. It was established in 2007 as a successor to the original Women’s Network, to raise awareness of important issues regarding the career progression for women in the sector.
If we are to deal with the challenges, not only of recruiting and retaining good staff in provider organisations, but also of building sector-wide capacity for succession and the sustainability of high quality provision in FE, we must ensure that these issues are addressed.
Female college principals in England only constitute 36%, while women comprise 64% of the workforce. In two regions, fewer than 30% of principals are women and in sixth form colleges only 29% of principals are women.
A significant ‘glass ceiling’ effect still exists in senior management and governing bodies and women and black and minority ethnic managers continue to be under-represented.
Our purpose is to:
- help develop a strong, dynamic and influential network of women leaders, to ensure equality of opportunity throughout the FE system
- promote and represent the interests and aspirations of women in FE by influencing leadership thinking and policy
- encourage career progression by supporting women managers to pursue leadership roles and work to improve support for women in the workplace
- provide professional support and intelligence networks for female leaders in FE
- raise awareness of the under-representation of women in FE leadership
- be recognised as a source of good professional practice and advice.
In order to fulfil our purpose, we propose to undertake the following activities:
- provide a network for female leaders and managers, nationally and regionally
- publish research into gender issues affecting the FE system
- lobby all stakeholders to recognise women’s issues
- invite members to share good practice and work together to lead great learning opportunities
- signpost members to training and development that focuses on issues faced by women
- provide a forum for exchanging ideas and learning from leading women in sectors outside FE
- offer mentoring and coaching support to women leaders
- work with provider governing bodies to ensure that they understand and consider women’s issues in their recruitment of principals and governors.
For further information, please call Paula Hallam on 01865 551 001. | |
Latest news
Annual conference report 2010
All photographs of the Annual Conference 2010 were taken by students of Barking & Dagenham College.
The voices of women – read about our latest research
Latest percentages of female principals in England
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