I joined CAVA in October 2024, after spending nearly twenty years working in a variety of more traditional and post-1992 public higher education institutions in England, as well as a private college. All of my working life until now has been spent in higher education. I have often worked alongside colleagues in further education institutions, mainly through longstanding partnerships, so I have long been aware of the sector, its positives and the challenges it faces. I also have experience of providing quality assurance advice, guidance and regulatory support to colleagues and students involved in Level 3 provision in universities. This last point in particular makes the move into Access to HE an interesting challenge. I was attracted to the role at CAVA as I feel very much aligned to CAVA's values, aims and mission . The themes of continuous improvement, integrity, transparency, inclusivity and acting as critical friends to colleagues in the sector all cut across the work I ...