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NALC congratulates community governance graduates
The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) wishes to congratulate the most recent graduates of the Community Governance programme. Community Governance is one of the highest qualifications designed for people working in Local Councils, and is part of the National Training Strategy.
NALC and all the partners on the Improvement and Development Board are committed to delivering a range of training, support and qualifications for officers and councillors. It is vital for the improvement and success of our councils that individuals are given the time and encouragement to develop their skills for the benefit of their councils and communities.
Cllr Ken Browse, chair of NALC, said: "NALC warmly congratulates all students and graduates of the Community Governance programme. NALC totally supports the professional development of council officers and this programme is one of the key examples of how to do this."
Professor Gary Craig of the University of Durham said: "This is a fantastic course. I applaud the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) and the University of Gloucestershire for facilitating this unique opportunity for professional development." Professor Craig is the External Examiner who job is to assess the quality and standards of the Community Governance programme by reviewing the assignments produced by students. He attended the Board of Examiners held at the University on January 21st and praised the quality of the work and the feedback to students."
The Certificate of Higher Education in Community Governance: Local Council Management, the advanced qualification for people working with local councils, was formally awarded to eight students: Sharon Wetherall (Lincolnshire), Helen Bojaniwska (Gloucestershire), Faye LeBon (Norfolk) and Isabelle Mouland (Sussex and Surrey) all achieved the CertHE with Distinction and Tracy Hughes (Gwent), Clare Baxter (Yorkshire), Francesca Nowne (Sussex) and Penny O'Hagan (Shropshire) achieved the CertHE with Merit. The certificates will be presented at the Practitioners' Conference at Stratford on Avon on March 5th. The Aon Prize will be awarded to Sharon Wetherall and the David Trafford Prize to Isabelle Mouland who works for the Surrey and Sussex Association of Local Councils.
Elisabeth Skinner, the SLCC's Academic Leader, notes that "It is no mean achievement to study at the depth and intensity of Community Governance while working at the day job. The students' effort and consequent success cannot be praised enough."