John joined New College Durham in August 1998, having previously worked as Vice Principal at Cambridge Regional College for ten years. Prior to entering Further Education, John worked as a lawyer in Local Government.

John Widdowson CBE joined New College Durham in August 1998, having previously worked as Vice Principal at Cambridge Regional College for ten years. Prior to entering Further Education, John worked as a lawyer in Local Government.

As Principal, John has worked to ensure that the College achieves and maintains the highest standards. At its last inspection by Ofsted, the College was assessed as “Outstanding”. It has been awarded Beacon College status by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service.

The College is lead sponsor for two Academy schools in County Durham.

In July 2011, the College became one of only two colleges so far to be granted the power to award Foundation Degrees.

Outside the College, John is Chair of the Mixed Economy Group which is made up of nearly forty colleges all of whom offer significant amounts of Higher Education.

He is a Board Member of the Association of Colleges and he currently Chairs the AoC UK China VET Forum. John has been a member of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) since 2009 and he Chairs HEFCE’s Widening Participation and Student Opportunities Strategic Advisory Committee. John is also a Director of the University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC).

John was made a CBE in June 2010 for services to Further and Higher Education.