Professor Sharon Green

Harnessing the Power of Education

As our Dean of Executive Education and Skills, Professor Sharon Green is responsible for driving quality improvements across academic and professional service departments at the University of Lincoln. Her role at the forefront of apprenticeships at both the University and across the country has gained her national recognition as a civic educational leader and Professor of Vocational Education and Skills Development.

Sharon's distinctive leadership approach has led to considerable success, and as a passionate advocate for inclusion, access, and participation, she has steered senior leaders and practitioners, developing teaching and assessment opportunities through mentorship.

She has implemented programmes that have reached thousands of employees and apprentices each year. By channelling the voices of stakeholders, she has maximised their power during every step of the journey, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Food for Thought

Although Sharon is now leading the way in the development of apprenticeships and skills at Lincoln, her background is in food technology, working for several years in the food industry before commencing her academic career. She held senior technical roles within the industry and led the development of systems and processes as quality control cultures shifted to a quality assurance model.

"As a food technologist, I took a non-traditional route to university," says Sharon. "After a career break having children, I started teaching in 2002, achieving a PGCE in 2004 and Master’s in Educational Learning and Development in 2006. My determination comes from lessons learnt while overcoming barriers in my own journey."

Alongside her academic qualifications, Sharon has also been awarded a Principal Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy in 2019 and received a National Teaching Fellowship in 2023.

Leading the Way

As part of her work at the University, Sharon is helping people to explore how they can develop durable habits, values, knowledge, skills, and behaviours relevant to the workplace through transformational education.

"I relish leading others academically or within their careers," says Sharon. "I really enjoy working collaboratively to shape how universities view diverse income generation, championing processes for colleagues working in the third space between academia and professional services.

"My own definition of second-chance education is not only making sure adults and young people can upskill vocationally and academically, but that we have a civic duty to provide opportunities to progress careers by raising aspirations, contributing to communities and fulfilling individual potential."

Sharon is continuing to drive the evolution of transferable systems and structures that enable teams to be effective across departments for the benefit of every student.