Announcing the panel for CLA’s first Further Education CPD Community

This year CLA is launching a community for FE practitioners to share best practice in IP and copyright education, technology and management. We’re delighted to announce the names of those practitioners who will sit on the panel. 

Delegates from licensed colleges will be invited to bring together different backgrounds, experiences and contexts and to reflect on best practice, hurdles and solutions. We intend to discuss, debate and deliberate on areas that perhaps rarely have light shone on them – copyright and IP – but which are so fundamental to the working practices of both staff and learners.

Our panel will help curate the event, ensuring that the selected talks and activities provide valuable CPD to delegates, and celebrate the very best practice conducted in FE colleges every day.

Meet the panel

Emma Forrest-Leigh

Emma is Vice Principal at the Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education, DfE panel member for T Level creation, AoC International Mobilities working group member, British Council International Alliance member, AoC Beacon Lead Assessor and CAVA subject external examiner, as well as a school governor for separate primary and secondary schools. A champion for the student voice and innovation, with her teams she has had four AoC Beacon wins, plus further Creative, International, Real World Learning, Innovation and Leadership Awards. She ran one of the highest-ranking Faculties for achievement for four years running at an Outstanding college.

Emma is an unusual blend of creative and educational expertise. She is experienced in interior styling, product pitching and creative commercial freelancing, marketing, film production, social media, and event creative direction and management. She holds over 25 years’ experience in the UK’s best ranked European Exchange Programmes with Erasmus+, holds an expansive portfolio of partners, and is well connected in the world of Media, having worked with two award-winning production companies within education settings. Emma’s work has been featured in various magazines including Vogue, Hello and Cosmopolitan, and she has been interviewed for Radio 4 and published by FE News.

Emma is an RSA Fellow and holds an MA, PGCE, QTLS, L8 Strategic Leadership and HEA Senior Fellowship. She is a practicing jeweller and has exhibited with the Crafts Council, at the NEC, V&A, worked for Topshop, Toyah Wilcox, Impulse Body Spray and states that the best things she has ever made are her two beautiful sons.

Mark Nicolson

A Chartered Member of CILIP, Mark has worked in library services in a number of FE colleges in Hampshire and Dorset over the last 25 years. In his current role one of his responsibilities is the administration of the college’s copyright-related licences.

Penny Robertson

Penny has worked in technology, libraries and education in Scotland for over 20 years. As Libraries Manager at City of Glasgow College. Penny is an advocate for copyright and its importance in FE and a pragmatist in finding ways to ensure licensing models are fit for purpose for students and teaching staff for the future.

Emma Furness

Emma began her professional career as a law librarian in Manchester. With more than 20 years of experience, she now leads the Learning Services Team at East Coast College and Lowestoft Sixth Form. Emma manages the campus libraries, shops (including reprographics) and digital support teams who, as well as providing traditional print and copyright services, work with curriculum staff and students and non-curriculum teams to develop their digital skills including understanding of IPR. Emma looks forward to finding new ways of supporting FE sector colleagues to understand and make the most of the information and resources available to them.

Liz Chester

Liz has worked in libraries for her entire career, and sees copyright as one of the pillars of the sector. Before joining Coleg Sir Gâr at the historic coal mining town of Ammanford she was at the Sackler Library at the University of Oxford.

Kerry Steeden

A Digital and Learning Resource Centre (LRC) Manager in Blackpool & The Fylde College promoting help for students, apprentices, and colleagues to develop digital and informational competence, academic/informational skills, and academic wellbeing. In so doing, ensuring excellence and parity of digitally assisted learning experiences, to promote academic progression, social justice, and student success. Throughout her career as a Learning Support Facilitator, Lecturer and Programme Leader in Computing and Senior Learning Technologist, Kerry has been passionate about the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning.

As Digital and LRC Manager Kerry continues to champion the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning. Committed to promoting accessibility and copyright compliance, as Kerry believes that these are critical to creating an inclusive and equitable learning environment for all learners.

To receive updates about this event, subscribe to our mailing list