The Chair of Governors from Nottingham College has been recognised in HM The King’s Birthday Honours List 2024.
Carole Thorogood, who has been Chair since 2017, has been recognised as Medallist of the Order of the British Empire, in acknowledgement of her services within further education (FE) over the last 18 years.
During her tenure at Nottingham College and before then as Chair of Central College Nottingham, Carole has steered transformational change, overcome an extraordinarily challenging financial landscape for the college and delivered education improvement to benefit Nottingham and beyond.
This has culminated in the delivery of the flagship £58m City Hub in the centre of Nottingham, one of the largest investments of its kind for any further education college in the country. City Hub houses a 200-seat theatre, a gourmet training restaurant and state-of-the-art classrooms and learning facilities for students.
Today, Nottingham College is the only FE college serving the city, with around 21,000 learners enrolling every year. An award-winning education institution, the college prides itself on its responsiveness to the educational and training needs of the region, to ensure students are equipped with the skills and attributes that will enable them to make a positive contribution to the economy and society at large.
Carole said: “This is an absolute honour and of course a complete surprise. During my time at Nottingham College I have been supported by countless colleagues who have shared my passion for the city, for its young people and for the transformational power of further education. This award is testament to the collective impact of those individuals.
“Together, over the last few years, we have steered the college through some choppy waters and have secured its future as a high-performing, first choice education provider for Nottingham, that people can rightly be proud of.
“I’m truly thrilled to have been included in this year’s HM The King’s Birthday Honours List and I draw a huge sense of pride knowing that I have played my part in a much larger ensemble cast, throughout the last 18 years, who have led the charge for further education in this city. I’ve loved every minute of it!”
Janet Smith, CEO and Principal at Nottingham College, said: “Carole is an outstanding Chair of Governors, and this award is testament to her leadership and dedication to the people of Nottingham who choose to study, train and work here.
“Our ambition for Nottingham College is to be recognised as an outstanding provider of choice for education and skills training, and to know that we have the influence and support of our exceptional Chair and Governing Board underpins this goal.
“We are absolutely delighted for Carole and offer our congratulations and thanks for her many years of service to Nottingham College – and we hope many more years to come.”
