College appoints new Director of HR
Gower College Swansea has appointed a brand new Director of Human Resources – one with a very familiar face - as Sarah King, who joined the College in September, previously worked at Swansea College as a HR Employee Relations Advisor.
Sarah, who is from Swansea, has spent the last 11 years at Bridgend College where she held the position of Vice Principal HR and Wellbeing.
During her tenure at Bridgend, the College was placed 28th in the Times Top 100 Best Organisations to Work For (Not for Profit), an accolade that Sarah is particularly proud of because it came about directly from staff feedback.
“It came about as a result of a staff survey that asked employees to rate the College on factors such as health and wellbeing, leadership, pay and benefits, and which was then benchmarked against other, similar organisations,” says Sarah. “I’m now looking forward to bringing that focus on health and wellbeing initiatives to Gower College Swansea, putting together a steering group to drive forward ideas, aiming to achieve a Bronze Corporate Health Standard and really embedding health and wellbeing into our busy daily lives.
“It’s very important to value and recognise staff so I’m keen to get their ideas on how we can move forward, whether that is taking part in fitness challenges for charity, developing closer links with external organisations to organise health screenings, flu jabs or eye tests on campus, sharing healthy recipes or working together to developing an app that we can all access.”
Sarah has worked in the field of HR since 1999, beginning in payroll and administration at Dewhirst Ladieswear before starting her career in management. Now qualified to Level 7 CIPD, Sarah’s career took her to Dyfed Powys Police, Walkers Crisps and Swansea University before her move back to the further education sector.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be back – Swansea is my hometown and I really loved working here,” says Sarah. “I’ve been made to feel very welcome by my new – and old - colleagues. I’m now looking forward to getting to know the staff and working together to enhance health and wellbeing opportunities for all.”
Photo: Peter Price