College principal resigns

Karen Buchanan has resigned as principal of Burnley College just weeks after she was suspended pending an investigation.

No details of the investigation or its scope have been revealed. A college spokesperson said the investigation was “not yet concluded” and they could not comment on it whilst it was ongoing.

 They added: “The college can confirm that Karen Buchanan has resigned from her position as principal of Burnley College and is currently serving her notice.” 

 Deputy principal Kate Wallace will continue in the role of interim principal, the spokesperson said. Mrs Buchanan’s suspension was revealed at the end of May.

 She was appointed as principal of Burnley College and chief executive of Themis, its apprenticeship and business training arm, in 2018 after seven years in the role of deputy principal.

 Her career in Further Education began in1993 when she joined the college as a part-time lecturer in computing.

 She brought her skills and experience from industry to the education sector, having worked as a computer programmer and systems analyst at some of the region’s leading employers - British Aerospace, the Prestige Group and Leyland DAF.

 Mrs Buchanan has also welcomed Royal visitors on official visits including escorting the then Prince Charles on a tour of its new campus and welcoming the late Queen and Prince Philip on their Jubilee tour.

 In her biography on The Lancashire Colleges website, she is described as: “A keen advocate of developing collaborative links between industry and academia.”

She is also described as playing a key role in the Association of Colleges in the North West and chairing the board tasked with developing Burnley’s Long-Term Plan. Almost 700 people are employed at the college.