The Judicial College was established on 1 April 2011 (replacing the former Judicial Studies Board) to enable all judicial office holders for whom the Lord Chief Justice (LCJ) and the Senior President of Tribunals (SPT) have statutory responsibility, to be trained by the same organisation. The LCJ and SPT have oversight of the College through the Judicial Executive Board (JEB), which supports them in their leadership, organisation and management roles. The chairman of the College is a member of the JEB and through that body advises and supports the senior judiciary in training issues. From April 2013, the training of all types of coroner and coroners’ officers also became part of the Judicial College’s responsibilities. The Judicial College is part of the Judicial Office.
The Board of the Judicial College is the governing body of the College. It sets the overall strategy for the College, agrees business plans and oversees the delivery of training within the budget allocated to the College. A Court of Appeal Judge is appointed as Chairman of the Board of the Judicial College for a three-year term. The College Board’s membership consists of courts’ and tribunals’ judiciary who can represent the training interests of courts and tribunals judiciary, magistrates, the senior judiciary, the Upper Tribunal, and the judiciary who sit in Wales.
The Tribunals Committee. It considers the common training needs across the tribunals’ judiciary and works together with the Courts Committee and the College Faculty to implement the College strategy.
The Wales Training Committee monitors judicial obligations under the Welsh Language Act 1993, and considers the training implications regarding any devolved legislation passed by the Welsh Government. Wherever possible, it will provide advice and solutions on how to integrate these additional needs within the existing College programmes or alternatively make the case for dedicated training.
The International Committee. It implements the College’s international strategy to participate in international training projects that strengthen judicial independence, the rule of law and judicial skills.
The Judicial College Faculty came in to being in 2016. It will seek to provide a significant rationalisation of the College’s current academic and pedagogic profile which will further enhance the reputation of the Judicial College as a world leader in judicial education. The Faculty sits within the Judicial College and is a central resource to assist in developing best practice for pervasive work themes and in the delivery and design of the governing principles set by the Judicial College Strategy.