2006-09 National Research Director: The Learning and Skills improvement Service (LSIS) (previously Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL)).

Between 2006 and 2009/10, I was on secondment with LSIS(previously CEL) securing approximately £2 million funding to conduct and direct their applied research programme on leadership issues in the FE sector. As National Research Director (06-09), my remit was to create a ‘research footprint’ for the sector of applied, case study research that could inform LSIS policies, programmes and practices. I was responsible for organising national tenders, selection panels, and research workshops as well as co-ordinating and editing all the published applied research output and making numerous presentations (e.g. QIA Conference, The Institute of Education, LSIS Conference). The LSIS programme was split between projects conducted by HE researchers and those undertaken by practitioners working in the Sector. The Practitioner Programme was designed to develop the sector’s research capacity, build a sustainable research community, and to disseminate findings and good practice. Research findings were disseminated directly into CEL/LSIS leadership development programmes as well as across the entire FE sector. In these 3 years I published 14 co-authored research reports, 12 edited volumes of practitioner research reports, 4 individual practitioner research reports and ghost edited 14 other HE research reports. In total, 91 LSIS/CEL HE and practitioner research reports were published in various forms. The Practitioner Programme, in particular, was designed to produce ‘action research reports’ intended to stimulate real and substantial change in policies and practices. The findings and subsequent impact of this practitioner programme was showcased at the first National Practitioner Leadership Research Conference held in London in February 2009. During this period, 71 practitioner research reports were published in 12 edited and themed volumes.