Kelly is an experienced events manager in the FE and skills sector. With a career beginning as an apprentice at the University of Bristol, Kelly then progressed into events management joining AELP in 2011. From 2011-2019, Kelly was instrumental in building and managing the events programme at AELP. Kelly has successfully developed and managed teams to deliver a wide range of events from workshops and training events to large scale and high-profile national conferences. Kelly joined SDN in January 2020 to continue this work to manage and build SDN’s Event Programme.

Mandeep is the Employer Partnership Manager. With over 12 years’ experience working in the training and development sector, he has supported large corporates to SME’s with their skills development projects. Having worked with some of UK’s major training providers in his previous roles, he has a good understanding of government funded training initiatives and how they can be incorporated as part of workforce development strategy.

Ruth is an experienced senior manager with a demonstrated history of working in the education, training and skills sector. She is skilled in research, planning and development, stakeholder engagement, and partnership development. Ruth joined SDN in early 2022 as our Employer Partnerships Manager, with a particular focus on the Education Landscape.

Nicki is an experienced executive and has worked in Customer Services for over 20 years, with 13 of those being for a large financial institution in the city of London and 3 for a Kent based charity. Nicki has fantastic organisation skills and excels in keeping business operations running smoothly.

Jemma is a learning & development professional with 15 years of experience in industries such as the charity sector, education (primary - HE), retail and aviation in the UK and Asia. She has enjoyed the opportunity of working with a variety of people and with content and curriculum, from design right through to delivery. Jemma is looking forward to using the skills she has developed, to support her role as Professional Development Executive at SDN.

Chloe is a Marketing Executive with experience in data management and design. She has a particular aptitude for branding, standardisation, and analytics. Chloe had 5 years of experience as an Office Administrator in small business and also gained experience in HR, management and finance in this position. She joined SDN in 2020 to work within the education sector and solidify her role in marketing and data management.

Bradley Goldsworthy is a dedicated and creative professional who brings over 12 years of experience in delivery, curriculum, management, and governance predominantly in the field of Apprenticeships. Bradley has consistently found unique and effective solutions for delivering impactful educational programs. His deep understanding of apprenticeships, coupled with his creativity has helped him successfully navigate the complexities of the FE sector.

Karen has more than 20 years of knowledge, skills and management experience in FE. She has developed and managed apprenticeships from all relevant angles; as an employer, training provider, consultant, policy and senior manager for the Skills Funding Agency. Karen works with employers, training providers and colleges and is committed to driving quality, progression and business growth. She meets challenges and demands head on and works with a positive and pragmatic approach to make things happen.

Anna has been working in the FE and skills sector for 20 years in TEC’s, Chamber of Commerce, LSC and SFA. Anna has a proven track record for developing and implementing skills funding policies including co-investment approaches, Adult Education Budget and Advanced Learner Loans. Now freelance, Anna works closely with providers, employers and Government on a range of projects including organisational development, Apprenticeship reform and Loans.

Alison has 25 years’ experience in Management and Leadership Development working in both the Private and Public Sectors. She has developed and implemented numerous support programmes in areas such as developing apprenticeship strategy, employer engagement, building high performing teams, resilience and wellbeing, time and energy management and effective communication. She is an experienced executive coach, facilitator and qualified to deliver Insights Discovery profiling to underpin personal and team development.

Carole has been working in the FE sector for over 20 years. She has a strong track record in quality standards and supporting organisations to improve. As part of this, she has extensive experience of Ofsted inspections and has managed a number of large-scale projects. Carole is also the co-owner of Mesma (self-assessment and improvement software).

Following a career in the public sector, Breda has been engaged in FE and skills since 2001. She has worked with several sector skills councils, and public sector bodies promoting workforce development through standards and qualifications. Breda has worked extensively with providers engaged in delivery of Apprenticeships and has supported the development and implementation of Trailblazer Apprenticeship Standards.

Simon has worked in people development for almost the whole of his career. As an independent consultant he joined the team which developed quality standards for work-based learning and setup the first inspectorate, now part of Ofsted. He has led international education and training research and now dedicates his time to helping organisations gain as much benefit as possible from the new apprenticeship levy, aligning it with their wider skills and people strategies. He is also a graduate of Oxford University.

Erica Farmer, Founder and Director of Welcome Two and Co-Founder and Business Director of Quantum Rise Talent Group, has over 20 years of designing and delivering learning and development programmes in both large and small organisations. Erica has a depth of experience with apprenticeships and funded learning, including a unique and specialist mix of experience having been both a levy decision maker and a provider lead, chairing the customer service trailblazer and sitting on various apprenticeship provider boards.

Hayley Bird is the Co-Founder and Delivery Director of Quantum Rise Talent Group and has 10 years in employability and corporate learning and development. Hayley has been a lead virtual facilitator for various virtual faculties and now supports the Quantum Rise Associate Delivery Partner team to deliver programmes and sessions.

Paul has been appointed as an Education Advisor to the DfE each year for the last seven years. This is in addition to his wider consultancy work within the education and training sector, which includes many of the UK's leading awarding organisations and IfATE. Paul works on a wide range of policy, research, evaluation and quality assurance initiatives, most recently focussed on the development of the new T-Level qualifications.

Phil Golding, Managing Director of Supplytrain CIC, has over 15 years’ experience in marketing and business development of apprenticeships and work-based learning. Phil works closely with employers to help them maximise government-funded training, develop talent pipelines and overcome barriers to apprenticeship engagement. He also supports education providers to attract and retain new employer clients and drive sustainable work-based learning growth.

With over 20 years of leadership and management experience in a variety post 16 education sectors, Mark has a wealth of knowledge and practical experience of how to be successful within senior and executive roles. In recent executive positions, Mark has experience of leading a sixth form college as Principal and Chief Executive of an independent training provider. As Vice Chair of an Interim Executive Board, he has also overseen the academisation of a school. Now as a Managing Director at Evoko, Mark continues to utilise his experience in assisting education and training providers to maximise their potential through interim placement, mentoring support and curriculum product development.

Helen has over 20 years’ experience in research, policy and practice in the post-16 education and skills sector. She has a strong track record in the design, management and delivery of policy-orientated research and evaluation, and in developing resources and support to strengthen policy implementation and practice. Since becoming freelance after ten years in high-profile national roles with Learning & Work Institute, her recent work has contributed to the development of initiatives including skills bootcamps, Adult Education Budget devolution, career learning pilots and T-Levels.