Having spent 38 years in education and leading a further education college for the past 11, Solihull College Principal Brenda Sheils has collected her OBE at Buckingham Palace, almost three months after learning she was on the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List.
Brenda commented: “To visit the Palace and meet The Prince of Wales was an absolute privilege. As I prepare to leave the College this has been a wonderful milestone both personally and professionally and is also a testament to the significant hard work and achievements of our Governors, managers, staff and students at Solihull College”?.
With an annual budget of a £36 million, Brenda was appointed Principal of Solihull College in 2003. The College provides vocational education and training to over 12,000 further and higher education students and apprentices each year. Brenda began teaching at a Cambridgeshire comprehensive school in 1975 and since then has worked in schools, community education and colleges in Devon, Cheshire and Gloucestershire before joining Solihull College as Deputy Principal in 2000.
Reflecting on her time at Solihull College, Brenda said: “I am so very proud of the excellent contribution the College has made over the years to the economic development and social well-being of Solihull, Birmingham and the wider region. The College has recently achieved the Investors in People Gold Award which recognises the strong values, ambitions and commitment to achieving excellence by everyone who works or studies with us”?.
Brenda, who has lived in Stratford-upon-Avon for over 20 years, was joined by her husband, her son and daughter for this memorable and exciting day at Buckingham Palace.
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