Fran’s role involved ensuring that the skills, qualifications and competencies provided by schools, colleges and higher education better match the needs of employers. This was underpinned by “bending the spending” of circa £4bn of regional public resource on skills, employment and Higher Education (HE) in the region to respond to agreed priorities. Having been the lead representative for England’s nine RDAs for employment, skills and HE, she is experienced in creating links across several Government departments and Treasury on national policy issues in this area, working directly with ministers and the relevant national executive bodies.

A main achievement was placing skills capability on the policy table as a key economic factor to establish the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. Fran’s extensive career has included teaching, lecturing in HE, curriculum and professional development at a national level, senior management posts in FE/HE, quality assurance, change management, regional economic development and policy formulation.

In her RDA Skills Policy role she was at the forefront of several major interventions such as the initial preparation and decision making process for the potential move of the BBC to Salford to create the new MediaCity, the supply of skills for the nuclear industry in Cumbria and the planning of workforce development in high level manufacturing sectors. She is strongly committed to ensuring that direct and active skills and employment measures are invested to the benefit of individuals, local communities and businesses.