INTERVIEW
Debbie Lavin: The
Principal switched on
to enhance IW College
By Peter White
Debbie Lavin openly admits that when
it came to school lessons she simply
wasn’t interested.
Despite attending a top Grammar
School, and being academically bright,
she opted to ‘switch off ’ when she
was 15 year of age; left school shortly
afterwards, and eventually worked in
a bar.
A few years later, however, Debbie
began to see the errors of her ways,
so she decided to put her past behind
her and make a fresh start. Now she
provides living proof that it is never
too late to learn, having held the
prestigious post of Principal of the Isle
of Wight College for nearly a decade.
Under her leadership, and with the
help of the professional team around
her, the IW College has grown in
stature to become arguably the leading
learning centre on the Island. In her
10 years in charge, Debbie has seen
student numbers grow from 850 to
2,000, with a comprehensive range of
subjects from bricklaying to degrees.
Debbie, a ‘Lancashire lass’ from
near Wigan, reflected on the second
opportunity she gave herself. She
admitted: “I didn’t enjoy education
or learning at school. I went to a
high-flying school, and I was very
able and academic, but dare I say it, I
wasn’t really interested.
“When I was at school I switched off
in a big way. But something happened
to me as I was growing up that said I
needed to change, so I went to college
when I was 19. I realised jobs and
wages were linked to qualifications,
and I didn’t seem to have too many. I
knew that if I didn’t do something I
would still be earning the same wages
two years down the line.
“Perhaps it was the wake-up call,
so I came back into education as an
adult, attended university in Bolton,
and became something of a lifelong
learner. I went to university for my
teaching qualification, and then did
my qualification in Human Resources,
and later a Masters degree through the
Open University.”
She continued: “I kept moving
around jobs, and was even
self-employed for a while with my own
hotel. I like people so I kept asking
myself what I could do as a profession.
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