A FORMER Principal of Wirral Metropolitan College will give a series of lectures at a conference at The Royal Society of Medicine in London next Tuesday.

The conference 'Reconstructing Further Education for the 21st Century' will feature a number of leading edge speakers from the business world.

Jenny Shackleton will share her experiences and give her views on how education should be reshaped in the 21st century.

Her case-study lecture will look at such things as politics and policies, integrity of funding, institutional management and sticking to purpose.

But the Globe has learned that Mrs Shackleton's appearance at the conference has prompted a shocked response from some former colleagues - who feel she is the wrong person to talk about a subject such as college management.

John Bishop, a teacher at the college, said that while she was Principal of Wirral Metropolitan College, Mrs Shackleton received the worst report that anyone could receive from education inspectors.

And Sue Doleman, of college lecturers' union NATFHE, said she was 'very surprised' to hear of Mrs Shackleton's choice of subject.

"We were absolutely astounded when we heard about what she was speaking on," she told the Globe.

The one-day conference is open to those who work in the public and private sectors; including college managers and staff, governors, careers advisers, inspectors, directors of education and further education advisers.

Fees for public sector delegates are £323 per head or £299 for two delegates from the same organisation. Private sector delegates are charged £468 each.

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