Meet the team

Joanna Tolley

Joanna Tolley is our Widening Participation Research and Development Officer.

Joanna is the Widening Participation Research and Development Officer at Greater Brighton Metropolitan College and has worked with young people in the city for over 18 years in both the education and charity and voluntary sector. Her MSc in Applied Social and Community Research specialised in exploring how young people in Sussex interact with support services. She recently led research investigating the experience of young people residing in supported accommodation services accessing education. She has worked at the college since 2016 and manages the UniConnect funding stream.

Get in touch with Joanna at joanna.tolley@gbmc.ac.uk.

Sarah Brereton

Sarah Brereton is our Widening Participation Lead and joined the College in November 2022.

Sarah has worked in Education for 19 years within FE and the charity and voluntary sector in London and the south coast. Sarah’s experience includes teaching ESOL, and community development work targeting underrepresented groups and marginalised communities, particularly those from BAME backgrounds and families with young children in West Sussex who are less advantaged.

Sarah coordinates our community development and partnership work, our Industry Mentoring programme, the Freelance Network, University visits for WP groups, and our National Saturday Club offer at Northbrook College.

Sarah is passionate about understanding barriers to education and promoting lifelong learning and opportunity. She is the newest member of the Widening Participation team, but who also shares our commitment to our HE learners to support their achievement.

Sarah also volunteers as a Parent Governor at her children’s school to support her passions and enhance her skills.

Kada Faïda

Kada Faïda (he/him/his-they/them/their) is our BAME* Student Coordinator. Kada joined GB MET in February 2022.

Kada comes from an International Business and Marketing background and started being interested in multiculturalism in the early 2000s which led him to focus his career in promoting diversity for different cosmetic companies. Kada also has since been working in education since 2017.

Conscious that BAME students could need to overcome numerous additional challenges during their university studies, Kada is also part of the Identity Mentoring Match Programme and as such, Kada mentors BAME students from the University of Brighton who want to be matched with mentors who share the challenges of their lived experiences, providing them with motivational, social, personal or professional support, enhancing students’ chances for success.

In his role with us, Kada will act as a voice for BAME students and will provide them with a safe space to discuss any concern or lived experience, while working to increase recruitment, retention, progress and success of BAME students in our establishment.

Get in touch with Kada at kada.faida@gbmc.ac.uk

*BAME stands for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic and is a term used frequently in Britain as an umbrella term for non-white ethnic minority communities by government agencies and academic researchers in reference to ethnicity data in the UK, and groups together all people that identify in ethnic categories other than White British. Despite the widespread use of the BAME acronym, we recognise that it cannot replace the immense diversity and distinct ethnic identities of each individual.

Sian Cannell

Sian Cannell is our UniConnect Programme Coordinator and Administrator, Sian joined GB MET in January 2021. Sian has over 10 years’ experience of working in education from setting up and coordinating initiatives, to training staff and students, running events and also offering information, advice and guidance on careers, housing and study skills.

Her specialism is setting up peer-led learning initiatives, facilitation and mentoring - her proudest professional moment is being invited to Italy and work on a project for students with dyslexia along with other leaders in the field.

Sian also volunteers as a mentor for young women in the local area supporting them to develop their goals and aspirations, and as a story mentor for young people.

To get in touch with Sian please email: sian.cannell@gbmc.ac.uk

Norman Murchie

Norm is our UniConnect Coordinator based at the West Durrington campus.

Norm is responsible for our team of Student Ambassadors, managing our long running Skoolfest event and a number of community outreach programmes.

A vinyl DJ and promotor since the early 90s Norm has worked with some of the biggest and most respected DJ's and artists in the industry and continues to run a number of successful events on the South Coast under the banner Inappropriate Handclap.

Recently returning to education as a mature student, Norm graduated our Music Production BA degree course with first class honours last year and has been working hard in the studio for some upcoming vinyl releases.

To get in touch with Norm email: norman.murchie@gbmc.ac.uk