Myerscough principal joins LEP board

The Lancashire Enterprise Partnership has appointed food and agriculture specialist Alison Robinson to its board of directors.

Alison is chief executive and principal of Myerscough College and University Centre, one of the UK's largest land-based and sports colleges.

She has already played an active role at the LEP as the education representative in the Food and Agriculture Sector Group and on the Skills and Employment Advisory Panel, where she recently took on the role of chair.

Following an undergraduate degree at Lancaster University and postgraduate courses at both Lancaster University and the University of Central Lancashire, Alison began her teaching career in 1991.

She has taught with educational providers across Lancashire including a school, a sixth form, a university and six further education colleges before moving into a range of management roles at Runshaw College and then Myerscough College. She also has experience working as a part time Ofsted inspector.

Alison was promoted to her current role at Myerscough College in April 2018, after spending four and a half years as the vice principal and deputy chief executive.

In addition to her positions with the LEP, Alison holds a number of non-executive roles including vice chair of The Lancashire Colleges, and director of Landex (Land Based Colleges Aspiring to Excellence) and Land Based Assessment Limited. She also sits on several additional advisory panels, policy groups and forums linked to education funding, quality, teaching and learning and rural sector needs.

She said: “I’ve lived and worked in Lancashire my entire life, growing up in rural, city and coastal parts of the county and I remain fiercely loyal to the region which is why I’m excited to join the LEP Board. I’m a teacher at heart and extremely passionate about the role that education plays in meeting employer needs and skills gaps.

"Addressing our local, regional, national, and international skills and employment challenges has never been more important than now, in the wake of Brexit and the pandemic.

Debbie Francis, chair of the LEP, said: "Through her work as part of the Skills and Employment Advisory Panel and the Food and Agriculture Sector Group, Alison has already made significant impact. Her commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion together with her belief in the power of education and training to transform lives and support economic regeneration, make Alison a fantastic addition to our board of directors, and I look forward to working together to secure further growth for Lancashire.”