Jocelyn Datt
Strategic Senior Education Leader with 20+ Years' Experience in Further and Higher Education
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About
A purposeful professional with a positive approach to work. Strategic and results-driven senior education leader with over 20 years' experience in further and higher education, specialising in student welfare, safeguarding, curriculum leadership, and quality improvement. Demonstrated success in leading large multidisciplinary teams, enhancing student outcomes, and embedding inclusive, high-expectation cultures across diverse learning environments.
Experienced in pastoral systems, SEND support, behaviour management, attendance improvement, and personal development provision, with a strong history of aligning welfare and curriculum strategies to organisational priorities and regulatory frameworks. Skilled in contributing to and delivering organisational strategic plans, evaluating the quality of education, and driving continuous improvement across all areas of provision. Recognised for fostering an initiative-taking, responsive, and student-centred culture, and for representing the organisation positively at local, regional, and national levels.
Experience
Business Development Manager – Apprenticeships (Secondment) - Leicester College - Leicester
(2025-06)
- Lead strategic growth of apprenticeship provision aligned with regional and national skills priorities
- Develop employer partnerships and strengthen recruitment pipelines
- Oversee funding compliance (BIL rules, MIS systems) and performance metrics
- Design and implement workforce development and training strategies
- Organise apprenticeship fairs, stakeholder events, and academy initiatives
- Generate new business leads and contracts
- Management of employer levy reviews
- Prioritisation of workload
Programme Area Manager - Leicester College - Leicester
(2005 - 2025-06)
Running departments with 25+ staff and 400+ learners across Business, ESOL and Professional programmes (Entry to Level 6).
- To implement British Values, sequencing, and Triangulation within curriculum areas
- OFSTED-Grade 2 achievement and maintained
- HR management, Interviews, student and staff disciplinaries, action plans, and probationary periods
- Payroll
- Directed curriculum planning, validation, and delivery of BTEC, HNC/D and HTQ programmes
- Led Self‑Assessment Reports (SAR) and quality improvement, achieving strong success, achievement, and retention outcomes
- Delivered Senior Leadership Team (SLT) projects and cross-college initiatives
- Developed new curriculum pathways in response to policy change and labour‑market demand
- Managed budgets, staffing, recruitment, performance reviews, and CPD
- Procurement
- Management of employer skills advisory boards
- Management of welcome events
- Prioritise workloads as per deadlines
- Built partnerships with schools, employers, and external agencies
- Led safeguarding, inclusion and SEND support for learners with ADHD, dyslexia, cerebral palsy, Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy and other needs
- Delivered teaching across Business, Functional Skills, ESOL and Key Skills-Levels 1 to 6 (Higher education)
- Designed and delivered CPD programmes to enhance teaching quality
- Oversaw marketing, recruitment, and progression strategies
- Management of all administrative processes, reports, data, spreadsheets, absences, and estates
Lecturer – Business & Travel & Tourism (Levels 1 to 6) - South Wigston College, Leicester - Leicester
(2003 - 2004)
- Delivered BTEC programmes and pastoral/tutorial support
- Designed schemes of work and learning resources
- Applied assessment for learning and diagnostic tools to support progression
Director - Blue Arrow Personnel Services
(1999 - 2001)
- Oversaw business operations, including payroll, recruitment, and event management
- Led business development, client pitches, and revenue growth strategies
- Managed budgets, staff development, and service delivery
Account Manager (British Telecom) - Park House Personnel
(2001 - 2003)
- Managed large-scale recruitment operations (up to five hundred staff daily)
- Led client engagement, service evaluation, and performance reviews
- Delivered training, advertising strategies, and target-driven outcomes
Education
Level 7 Senior Leadership and Management (Apprenticeship) - Leadership and Management - De Montfort University (2025 - 2027)
Certificate in Education (CertEd) - Education - University of Leicester (2004 - 2005)
BA (Hons) - Administration Management - University of Humberside (1999 - 2002)
BTEC National Diploma in Business - Business - Not specified
GCSEs - General Education - Judgemeadow Community College
