Buckinghamshire: BEST appoints general manager to lead development of University Campus Aylesbury Vale

Ian Harper, chief executive of ATG Training in Aylesbury, has been appointed as the first general manager of Buckinghamshire Education, Skills and Training (BEST), the new partnership venture between Buckinghamshire New University and Aylesbury College.

BEST is jointly owned by the University and College and is a separate company operating alongside the two institutions. It provides a vehicle to pool the partners’ leadership, industry links and expertise, and therefore enable a broader range of educational opportunities and meet the region’s education and skills needs.

The BEST general manager post is an entirely new role and Harper’s primary responsibilities will be to oversee its projects, and to manage the development of, and recruitment of students to, BEST’s new University Campus Aylesbury Vale (UCAV) which is set to open in October 2015.

Harper said: “I’m delighted to be joining BEST and look forward to establishing it as part of Buckinghamshire’s educational offer. The plans for the new higher and professional education campus on the new development at the Waterside in Aylesbury are very exciting, and the modern facility will host education and training opportunities from Bucks New University and Aylesbury College in a striking setting. I look forward to welcoming the first students and delegates in the autumn next year.”

After gaining a degree in chemical physics, Harper started work in the training department of Harrods. After five years he moved to ATG Training in 2000 as a training officer where he benefited from ATG’s support and sponsorship of postgraduate management qualifications, enabling him to rise through the organisation and become chief executive in 2010. With interests in education and opportunities for young people, he is involved in Young Enterprise in Bucks and is a governor of Elmhurst School in Aylesbury, where he himself went to school.

Professor Ruth Farwell, chief executive of BEST and vice chancellor of Bucks New University, said: “It is with great pleasure that we make this important appointment. It signifies a considerable milestone in the development of the new partnership between Aylesbury College and Bucks New University, and firmly marks our commitment to broadening and improving employer-linked educational opportunities.”