Lowestoft College has officially announced the appointment of its new principal.

Simon Summers, who currently lives in Hampshire, is set to relocate to Suffolk with his wife and two daughters when he takes over the role on Gwen Parsons retirement. Mr Summers will join the college on July 1 as Principal Designate and will undergo a period of induction during July and August to ensure a smooth handover from Mrs Parsons.

No stranger to East Anglia Mr Summers studied for a degree in Electronic Engineering at the University of Essex. He has a background in engineering and shipbuilding and moved into education where his experiences included working as Operations Director managing over 2000 staff including a further education college providing a full range of courses up to foundation degree for the British Army. More recently he has been employed as a Managing Director of a work based learning company providing vocational courses nationally.

Bob Mee, Chairman of Lowestoft College said: “We are very pleased to welcome Simon to the College and believe that he will be the right person to take us forward.” In paying tribute to Gwen Parsons, Bob commented that she had transformed the college over the last eight years and it is currently in better shape than it has been for many years.

“In Simon we have found a different range of skills and experiences that will complement the work of Gwen and continue to give us strong decisive leadership we have become used to. We believe Simon is the right person to continue the already excellent partnership working with the local schools and to take the college forward on its journey towards excellence which will reflect well on its developing local and national reputation as a leading provider of quality education,” continued Mr Mee.

Commenting on his new role Mr Summers said: "My family is excited about the move and I am very much looking forward to joining the College. Lowestoft College is a very good college having improved greatly under Gwen Parsons’ direction. The next challenge is to consolidate these improvements to transform the College into an outstanding one. I was really impressed by the positive attitude of students and staff which will be essential to ensure that we build on this success”.

"As is the case with all of the education and public sectors, funding is no doubt going to be an issue in the future as the government seeks to reduce the UK's debt. A responsive and diverse provision of education and training will be key to making the best use of this funding. This will be helped through strengthening the College's position at the centre of the community through close involvement with the community and employers in Lowestoft and the surrounding area".