Jill joined Nestlé in 2014 as part of the Nestlé Academy team focusing on attracting, selecting and developing young talent.  Jill’s key focus has been shaping the company’s apprenticeship strategy and facilitating a more consistent approach across the UK.  Nestlé has played its part in developing a number of Trailblazer apprentice standards, specifically for the food and drink sector, as well as being a significant ambassador and advocate for apprenticeships.  Nestlé’s young talent actively engage with schools, colleges and careers events across the country, promoting the benefits of apprenticeships and a number of our current cohort are members of the Young Apprentice Ambassador Network.

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Jill is the Co-chair of the Y&H Apprenticeship Ambassador Network.

With over 10 years’ experience of managing qualifications and apprenticeship programmes within several industries, Katie now leads on the development of early careers and future talent programmes at Jet2.com and Jet2holidays. This includes schools’ engagement, work experience, apprenticeships, graduate programmes and further education/talent development. She enjoys developing new standards to support industry development and best practice sharing to promote apprenticeships as a way of supporting business development.

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Katie is Co-chair of the Y&H Apprenticeship Ambassador Network.

Following 30+ years of working for DWP and Wakefield Council, Julie joined EN:Able Futures in 2015 and is now responsible for ensuring the company is successful in the delivery of all its projects.  Her key focus is to lead the development of the Shared Apprenticeship Service which employs apprentices directly, so all employment responsibilities remain with EN:Able Futures along with crucial pastoral, in-work and academic support to ensure achievement.

Julie, representing EN:Able Futures, played her part in shaping the consultation for the government’s new flexi-job apprenticeship programme having delivered exactly this service for 6 years.

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Julie is a member of the YHAAN Steering Group.

Alice has worked in Learning and Development for just over 12 years now, but is quite new to managing the apprenticeship scheme at Arco. Alice has a real passion for people and their development, so has relished the opportunity to take this on as part of her role.

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Alice is a member of the Y&HAAN Steering Group

Since Christopher began his career in the recruitment industry more than 20 years ago, he has focused much of his attention on Learning & Development. In the last five years, he has played a key role in redeploying aviation apprentices who found themselves without a career or job due to industry pressures. Christopher has supported the careers of over 100 engineering apprentices through his efforts. 

More recently, Christopher has been driven to engage with early careers talent and provide employability opportunities for those who find themselves out of work. He is devoted to driving change in social mobility and helping younger generations to learn about STEM careers. 

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Chris is a member of the YHAAN Steering Group.

Craig runs his own management consultancy that provides services to businesses across a variety of sectors. With over 25 years of experience in the Education & Skills sector, he has held senior roles for Colleges and National Training providers, focusing on External Funding, Partnerships, Business Development, Employability and Apprenticeship Programme delivery. He is passionate about Apprenticeships and has gained all of his qualifications vocationally.  Working with the YHAAN he provides a link with the DfE to align regional activities to the regional Business Plan objectives, builds relationships with local authorities, careers hubs, apprenticeship hubs, and sector bodies to foster regional interaction.

As part of the Employer & Strategic Networks team at the ESFA Craig worked on the national AAN refresh, supporting the development of 9 Regional networks.

He is also a Director for a Multi Academy Trust of 13 schools and a Theatrical Company.

Robert completed an EITB Mechanical Engineering apprenticeship at Reliance Precision in 1989 specialising in Manual Turning and Manual Milling. He spent several years working in the CNC Turning and CNC Milling Departments manufacturing precision components for a variety of customers in the medical, aerospace and defence sectors.

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In addition to this he has enhanced my range of skills working in a variety of company based disciplines including prototype work, team leader duties, operations support, internal auditing, sub-contractor management, Health and Safety Management and Apprentice Training where he currently manages the apprenticeship scheme and trains their first year apprentices in a range of mechanical engineering development disciplines.

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The company Training Cell delivers EAL based qualifications in partnership with Kirklees College and is an Approved Assessment Centre. In addition to this the scheme is approved by the IMechE and IET.

Hudson Contract’s own apprentice sponsorship initiative started in 2011.  Since then the scheme has helped more than 200 construction firms take on apprentices around Bridlington, Scarborough and the East Coast.
Fiona works with local training providers, schools, employers and would-be apprentices to help them navigate the minefield of funding, finding work placements and promoting construction as a trade.
Recognising the time pressures on construction SME’s Hudson Contract has developed a website (www.constructionapprenticeships.co.uk) to provide clear and simple answers to the questions most commonly asked about apprenticeships.

Amy is the driving force behind Tasty Careers — an innovative nationwide programme to introduce young people to the vast range of exciting careers open to them in UK food and drink manufacturing. 

The Tasty Careers website, www.tastycareers.org.uk , now achieves more than 175,000 pageviews a year alongside wider digital and social media promotion of industry opportunities. Over 100 businesses now use Tasty Careers as an active, and free, recruitment channel for new entrant and apprenticeship positions. 

As part of associated outreach, over 500 young staff from leading industry firms have been trained to act as Tasty Ambassadors — visiting local schools, colleges and universities across the UK to offer face-to-face engagement with young people making crucial study path and future career choices.  

Tasty Careers slots neatly into Amy's overall responsibility for marketing the extensive support the National Skills Academy for Food & Drink provides to businesses large and small in attracting new talent and developing, growing, and strengthening the skills capability of their existing workforce through industry-accredited training provision. 

Having joined Syngenta through a manufacturing apprenticeship back in 2015 Aaron has nurtured his interest and promotion of apprenticeship programmes through personal experience. Having seen the benefit of learning while working in a much more practical working environment he continued to support the apprenticeship programme even after the completion of his own. Through this interest Aaron helped drive his career, having moved from shift work, to learning and development to now leading the apprenticeship program at Syngenta. A keen advocate for apprenticeships, Aaron hopes to work with the network to further promote and learn about apprenticeships and their ever-growing benefits.

Sarah is the Emerging Talent and Careers Coordinator with a strong background in the airline and tour operator industry. She has a passion for supporting apprentices and developing future talent. Sarah’s role involves supporting our existing colleagues to use apprenticeships to help their development, through embedding specialist skills to joining Jet2’s leadership pathway.

With twenty plus years in operational and quality management within the apprenticeship and skills sector, Kenny is now focused on quality and compliance of over 500 engineering and manufacturing apprentices across the West Yorkshire region.

Working with over 200 employers and 50 schools in the region to promote apprenticeships, Kenny is passionate about continually pushing for apprenticeships to be considered by all school leavers, even those with high academic grades and signposted to university.

Nikita has working within Learning and Development for over 17 years, working to manage award winning Apprenticeship Programmes at Cummins Turbo Technologies and Syngenta, Huddersfield. She has now transitioned from industry into an academic setting as Delivery Team Director at Appris Ltd, a Bradford based Engineering Apprenticeship Training provider that trains and supports over 600 engineering and manufacturing apprentices across the West Yorkshire region. This shift allows her to bring a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise into the academic setting, enriching the learning experiences for students and contributing to the development of future professionals, whilst overseeing and managing operational aspects of the organisation.

Richard is a  qualified teacher with expertise in education, recruitment, and HR, he has extensive experience working with diverse students and learners, helping them reach their full potential. Richard has a strong background in delivering Functional Skills and has created a vast collection of resources and schemes of work to guide learners through their apprenticeship journeys. In his current role, he supports direct-entry apprentices, offering them opportunities to gain a broader understanding of Jet2. A passionate advocate for apprenticeships, Richard believes they play a pivotal role in shaping both businesses and careers. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling and is an avid sports enthusiast, both watching and playing a variety of sports.

With 16 years of experience in hospitality management, Gemma has a strong track record of leading and developing teams in many areas of the industry. Her passion for team wellbeing and growth has been a constant throughout her career.

Currently, Gemma is on a secondment as the Early Careers and Apprenticeship Lead at Bettys and Taylors Group. In this role, she supports upskilling development across the business and fostering future talent through apprenticeships.

Gemma is dedicated to promoting apprenticeships in all areas of the business and externally, aiming to build a skilled and diverse talent pool for the future.

Natalie has worked predominantly as a Retail Manager for a number of organisations for the past 25 years with a passion for developing talent and supporting colleagues to reach their full potential, before moving to a role as an Apprenticeships Advisor at Asda in 2022.

With around 150,000 colleagues Asda has an extensive apprenticeship proposition with currently 60 programmes to support development through upskill and reskill across the retail, logistic and home office functions of Asda. Their apprenticeship team collaborate with the Early Careers team to support opportunities to bring talent into the business through an apprenticeship pathway.

Natalie is committed to continuous improvement and passionate about celebrating the success of apprentices and understanding the impact of apprenticeships on the wider business.

Ellie has worked at Bagnalls since 2011 and has overseen the apprenticeship programme since 2018.  Ellie has introduced apprenticeship programmes to support the wider business to sit alongside the painting and decorating apprenticeships that Bagnalls has been offering since 1877.  Ellie is the Designated Safeguarding Officer for Bagnalls and is a trained Mental Health First Aider.  She uses this training to ensure that apprentices at Bagnalls receive holistic support during their training.  Ellie has led Bagnalls’ drive to support more female apprentices to enter painting and decorating.

Kirsty has worked at Bagnalls since 2021 and as part of her role at Bagnalls is the lead on the Apprenticeship programme.  As part of this responsibility Kirsty ensures that all apprentices are receiving the support they need on site, at College and at our inhouse Training Academy.  She also leads the Management Trainee Scheme we have in house at Bagnalls, which trains the next generation of Contracts Managers, many of which are also on Apprenticeships. Kirsty is trained in Safeguarding and is a Mental Health First Aider.  She uses this training to ensure that apprentices at Bagnalls receive holistic support during their training. 

Dedicated HR professional with 10+ years of experience in fostering employee growth and development. Skilled in designing and implementing effective learning programs, aligning talent strategies with business goals, and promoting a culture of continuous learning. Passionate about empowering employees to reach their full potential.

Having worked in Early Careers for the last 13 years, this is pretty much all she knows! Sasha has a strong passion for diversity and inclusion across apprenticeships and maintaining a fair process for all. Having spent most of her career in the Engineering and Construction industry, she is now expanding her knowledge across the Media and Creative Arts apprenticeship side of life. Outside of work Sasha enjoys being outdoors, cooking and riding her motorbike around the Yorkshire countryside! 

Lynne is the Head of Talent Acquisition at Hippo, a digital and data services partner, a position she has held since April 2021. Working in Recruitment/Talent Acquisition for over 20 years, Lynne has extensive experience in strategic and operational recruitment management. Her previous roles include Head of Talent Acquisition at Hermes and Recruitment Manager at Jet2.com and Jet2holidays. Lynne is passionate about early careers and integrating talent acquisition into business strategy by championing change through innovative ideas and initiatives. Outside of work, she enjoys countryside walks with her dog, Oscar, and relaxing by the York Marina with a glass of wine with family and friends.

Amber is an Emerging Talent Partner at Yorkshire Building Society, where they play a pivotal role in nurturing and developing both existing and new colleagues through apprenticeship initiatives. They have spent time aligning Yorkshire Building Society's offerings to future skills, with a particular emphasis on data skills, and maximising levy spending to benefit all colleagues. Amber also collaborates with various departments to ensure that training programmes are tailored to meet the evolving needs of the industry. Their efforts have led to significant improvements in increasing the numbers of apprentices within YBS, employee engagement and performance and maximising levy spending

HR professional with 20+ year experience predominately in the public sector and civil service.  A background in HR Business Partner supporting senior leaders to identify business solution to a range of business-related problems including Resource Planning, Workforce planning and Change Management.  A Strong commitment to inclusion and passionate about creating opportunities for people from all background, championing the opportunity apprenticeships provide to increase access to high quality learning and development for all regardless of background.

Joined Civil Service in 2018 at Valuation Office Agency. In 2019 I started HR career by joining Apprenticeships and Specialist Resourcing Team in Department of Health and Social Care. Role covered Apprenticeships, Life Chances Schemes (Care Leavers Scheme, Summer Diversity and Autism Exchange Internship Programmes) and Fast Stream. Gained further HR experience through joining HR Operations and Capability Teams on promotion and landing back in Apprenticeships and Specialist Resourcing Team leading on Apprenticeships, Life Chances and Talent Schemes. Joined Defra Group in 2024 as Apprenticeships Partner leading on Learner Journey, Provider Relationships and Data amongst other things.

Kim is Apprenticeships Manager at the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust. The Trust has around 600 apprentices across a range of apprenticeships from Level 2 to Level 7. The Trust is an Employer-Provider for Ambulance Support Worker Level 3 and Associate Ambulance Practitioner Level 4 standards. Ranked number 36 in the 2023 ‘Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers’, the Yorkshire Ambulance Service also achieved a ‘Good with Outstanding features’ OFSTED in June 2023.

Kim has worked in apprenticeships since the levy was introduced in 2017 and has experience in managing employer-provider and provider-led apprenticeships programmes.

Thomas is an experienced educational professional who has held various leadership roles in the education sector. He has served as an EPAO Director, an ITP Work-Based Assessor, a College FE Tutor, a College Governor, and currently as the Head of Apprenticeships for York St John University and the chair of a trustee advisory panel for an EPAO in construction. He has gained a wealth of experience in designing and delivering high-quality educational programmes that meet the needs of both employers and learners. In his current role Thomas is responsible for leading the development and delivery of degree-level apprenticeships. He is also in his final year (2024) of his Senior Leader Degree Apprenticeship.

Henry Broadhurst is an Apprenticeship Programme Manager at GXO Logistics, passionate about developing our talent through apprenticeships. With a commitment to nurturing growth and development, he champions apprenticeships as a vital pathway for individuals to gain practical skills and valuable experience. Henry believes in the transformative power of apprenticeships, not only for the apprentices themselves but also for the future success of the business. Dedicated to guiding apprentices and supporting teams, he ensures that everyone involved in GXO's apprenticeship program has the resources and tools they need to thrive.

An engineering graduate of Cambridge and Cranfield Universities, Alastair worked for 10 years in Bosch’s automotive division, across a variety of roles and products, becoming increasingly commercial. He then moved into the world of SMEs in search of greater influence over change and a passion for business growth. As Sales and Marketing Director and Chief Commercial Officer he led teams on rebrands, developed new markets, established a US subsidiary, up-skilled sales organisations, launched e-commerce, managed distribution and more. Alastair is now Managing Director of Accu, an online retailer for engineers and innovators.

Daniel is versatile professional who is known for fostering cultures of continuous improvement by rolling out robust talent development initiatives to spur professional development and succession readiness. Throughout his career, he has been instrumental in leading full lifecycle of operations associated with learning/development, training coordination, early careers and material creation to accelerate organisational growth and drive transformational outcomes.

Jordan has 10 years’ experience specialising in training needs and requirements. She uses that current experience to support the development of Early Careers with AmcoGiffen developing new talent into the business through apprenticeships, graduate programmes, T-Levels and much more.

Amy is an experienced people leader with extensive experience across a range of Talent and Performance Management, Learning & Development, Leadership Development and HR Projects. Amy currently heads up the end-to-end Performance and Talent Management processes at ITI Group, including their Early Careers agenda, Performance Management processes, Coaching & Mentoring as well as the development and implementation of innovative talent management and development initiatives. Working closely with partners, stakeholders, and their Executive team, Amy is committed to developing high quality solutions that underpin our organisational capability strategy.

Alex is the Managing Director of the West Yorkshire provider network and a consultant in the FE sector helping training organisations to maintain & improve their quality, performance, leadership & management, safeguarding and compliance arrangements.

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She is passionate about education & training, especially apprenticeships and ensuring young people & adults can access opportunities to further develop themselves, gain skills and experiences that allow them to become more employable, successful and beneficial contributors to our society. 

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Alex works with a range of employer networks & schools across Yorkshire to promote the benefits of apprenticeships and skill development and is committed to improving the apprenticeship brand and employer take up. 

Louise is a Learning and Development Specialist at Benenden Health, leading on apprenticeships, talent development projects, coaching and mentoring and

regulatory training. She has been with the company for more than 7 years and was previously a HR Business Partner before moving into Learning and Development.

Louise has a passion for apprenticeships and loves seeing people develop in their roles. She volunteers as a Enterprise Advisor for North Yorkshire Business and Education Partnership Ltd (NYBEP) and supports with careers fairs and mock interviews with local schools.

Jakki is a commercially focused operational manager in the early careers/talent/apprentice employment marketplace; she currently manages a Government registered Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agency.

With nearly 25 years of experience providing innovative learning and development solutions at a strategic level; supporting multi-national organisations through to SME’s, she is a specialist in defining and implementing cost effective and appropriate interventions (including guidance on apprenticeship levy maximisation) across multi-sited/disciplined businesses. Jakki works collaboratively with employers and delivery partners/ education network to ensure of inspirational long term knowledge transfer/ development visions, and, importantly helps employers to define their required systems/procedures and cultures that ensure of legal, regulatory requirements for learning and development practice.

Rachel is an experienced leader with a demonstrated history of working in public and private sector in the UK and abroad. She is skilled in Communication, Administration, Community Service, Leadership, Education and People Management. Strong education professional with a Bachelor of Arts - BA hons focused in Media and Cultural Studies from University of the Arts London. Rachel has worked at Zenith since January 2024, and brings with her a breadth of knowledge from experience in a variety of sectors. She spent eight years working within education, gaining a comprehensive understanding of how young people learn, develop and ultimately grow into confident and successful candidates for the workplace. Rachel now oversees all Early Careers job vacancies with the business.

Stuart is a Learning and Development Leader whose expertise encompasses organising high-quality learning to improve performance level and achieve corporate objectives. He is passionate about bridging the gap between education by advocating for the value of apprenticeship programmes.  Stuart strives to empower individuals from all backgrounds to pursue fulfilling careers through learning and development and in particular apprenticeship programmes.

Sarah has worked for Calderdale Council for over 20 years in various job roles.  She is part of a small team of advisers who work with apprentices from recruitment to completion of apprenticeship qualifications.  During an apprentice’s time on programme with Calderdale, we support our apprentices by having regular reviews with the apprentice and their manager.  These are additional to the reviews which take place with the training provider.  The meetings offer the opportunity for the apprentice and/or their manager to raise any concerns relating to the training or the training provider.  The team will get in touch with the relevant training officer to establish how those concerns can be resolved.

Calderdale generally has good working relationships with the providers we contract with and meet with the majority of them on a regular basis for updates on progress.

The team attend careers fairs at schools and host drop-in sessions when apprentice roles are advertised so that prospective applicants can come along and find out further details relating to the job role,  expectations around the offer and general information relating to working for a local authority.

Prior to working for Calderdale, Sarah worked for 2 private training organisations, delivering training, fulfilling the role of a training officer and assessing and verifying portfolios.

Eve joined CATCH in April 2022 as the Apprenticeship Account Manager and has a passion for helping people reach their potential. Eve started her career as an apprentice in business administration and went on to complete a business management degree through Hull University, she gained valuable knowledge and skills that have prepared her for a successful career in the business world. Eve enjoys working with young people, seeing them succeed and develop skills that will last them a lifetime.

Brad spent 3-4 years in the kitchen and bathroom industry before choosing a new direction and going into an educational role. Starting CATCH in 2024, Brad is the Employer Engagement Coordinator, responsible for getting new employers on board and keeping those that already use CATCH for their training provider. 

At CATCH we offer the most industry led, employer-focused apprenticeship programme in the Yorkshire & Humber region.  By utilising our industry knowledge, networks and connections and working closely with employers, we have developed specialised and enhanced apprenticeship programmes ready to deliver to the next generation of industry professionals. Encompassing Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation, Process Operations, Welding, Pipefitting and Plater specialisms. The Outreach and Engagement team at CATCH have designed our programme to provide the latest information, insights, guidance, and support to connect students with opportunities at CATCH and leading employers: Broadening Horizons in Engineering Careers.

Kelly has worked at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for over 23 years.  Over the course of her career she has had the privilege to assume leadership roles, provide support, and facilitate diverse educational initiatives, including postgraduate and, in recent years, vocational education. A resident of Doncaster, Kelly is passionate about improving the health and aspirations of her community.  As Head of Education (Widening Participation) she has lead responsibility for apprenticeships and has developed a portfolio of widening participation opportunities at DBTH.  These opportunities have enabled individuals to step into and go further, achieving their full potential whilst aligning the apprenticeship provision to workforce plans which have enabled the Trust to grow a workforce fit for the future.

Stephanie joined Smailes Goldie Group in 2023 and is responsible for supporting their accountancy trainees studying apprenticeships or self-studying, across the Hull and North Yorkshire offices.

Lee joined the RSPCA in February 2023 as Apprenticeship Development Manager. After leaving the Armed Forces in January 2010 he worked in Further Education for 13 years, during that time he worked at a senior level in a number of organisations that provided training, apprenticeships and adult education in a wide variety of sectors.

He loves that as an organisation, they can offer so many people the chance to develop through early career programmes and apprenticeships and as a team they are working hard to ensure they utilise these effectively. Lee is keen to support the development and attraction of a more diverse workforce through early careers and apprenticeship recruitment.

Kate oversees WDH’s apprenticeship programme which includes both office based and construction roles.  Since 2005 Kate has recruited 139 apprentices with 97% of apprentices completing their framework and obtaining a permanent qualified role with WDH.  Kate constantly reviews the training providers to ensure the best quality programmes for both new apprentices and existing employees wishing to develop their skills and knowledge. WDH also delivers a wider programme to support young people in their career including apprentice forums and a residential programme to ensure that they understand and develop their WDH DNA (Determination, Nous and Attitude).

Emma has worked for YPO since 2014, starting as a performance coach and then moving to L&D Business Partner. She started supporting young talent in 2018 and now oversees YPO’s apprentice programme, including supporting local schools and events promoting the value of apprenticeships.

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Emma is responsible for the recruitment and onboarding of apprentices, as well as providing support and additional off-the-job training, coaching and development. She has driven changes and improvements to the programme including expanding the types of apprenticeship offered, working with line managers to ensure the apprentices have opportunities for a broad range of development within their roles and also developing YPO’s ‘Apprentice Pathway’, a suite of training workshops to build the apprentices soft skills to complement their roles and prepare them for their future careers

Lisa is experienced in early careers and L&D, driven by a passion to make a difference in people’s lives, helping them grow and supporting equal access of opportunity and career development for all. She is also committed to embedding people strategies that add business value and make a positive and sustainable impact on corporate culture.

Lisa has worked in this capacity over 20 years in a wide variety of sectors such as the national careers service, local authority, NHS, Balfour Beatty, National Grid and more recently for the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.  She brings both experience and understanding of designing, developing and implementing corporate early careers programmes within large industry organisations along with a depth of understanding in relation to the ever-evolving skills and education landscape.

Lisa has long advocated work-based learning and apprenticeships as being of immense value to society as a whole and to the richness and diversity of organisational performance.

I work as and L&D Business Partner to help country and site directors and managers identify, develop, source and provide training and development including advising on Apprenticeships. Croda is a global company with manufacturing sites a and sales offices world wide. Our Head office is in the UK where we also have our Marketing, UK sales and global operations. We have four manufacturing sites in the UK. I am new to the  Ambassadors Network but have been advocating for Croda apprentices and young trainees. We typically take on around 20 apprentices a year, but this will increase under the new Apprenticeship schemes.

Rebecca has worked within the apprenticeship industry for over 15 years with direct experience of leading and managing various large, multifaceted organisations Business development and Management.

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Her journey started as an FE tutor progressing to assessor, IQA and senior manager, working with several colleges and independent training providers over the years before working with large employers to share her knowledge and skills from within the industry developed over time.

Rebecca is fiercely passionate about apprenticeships and believes we should celebrate the hard work and success of all apprentices and their employers at every given opportunity. She believes the apprenticeship industry will provide our future leaders and feels delighted to play a small part their journey.

Wesley began his teaching career when graduating from Leeds Becket University 2013 and has worked in various schools around the Leeds Area for the past 10 years. Wesley decided to challenge himself and began working for OCU in 2022, learning and developing his knowledge in the telecoms and construction industry and now teaches all aspects of health and safety along with craft modules for Openreach and he manages internal apprenticeships within the training school in Sheffield.

Elaine is Lead Workforce Development at Bradford Council and leads on the Councils Apprenticeship Programme.  The Council current has 186 live apprentices on a range of apprenticeships from Level 2 to Level 7.

Elaine has worked in apprenticeships before the levy was introduced in 2017 and since the levy came into play the team is responsible for supporting new apprentices into the organisation as well as developing and upskilling the existing workforce through the apprenticeship route.  This enables the organisation to develop staff as well as succession plan its future workforce.  Elaine also works with partner organisations to transfer levy money across the district.

Patricia has been Apprentice and Early Careers manager with the X-cel group since September 2023. Prior to that, Patrica spent many years as a secondary teacher and more recently worked for the University of Derby, managing a number of overseas accounts. 

In her current role, Patricia ensures that all apprentices have a rotation to ensure that they experience every part of the business. She meets with them regularly to ensure that they are supported and works closely with the AMRC to ensure that apprentices meet the required academic standards. Patricia is passionate about the importance of apprentices in shaping the future of X-cel. A number of past apprentices are now working at Director level, showing that with a combination of ambition and support, that sky is the limit for our apprentices.

Claire is Group Academy Manager for Stoneacre Motor Group and manages the training and recruitment division across the Group. She successfully set up Stoneacre as an Ofsted training school to deliver within the FE sector predominately delivering apprenticeships and national vocational qualifications.

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Stoneacre Academy was one of the first Automotive Companies in the UK to have its own school and has consistently surpassed the national benchmarks relating to retention, achievement and success rates and won the ‘Automotive Management Award for the best training and development programme 2017. Claire was a finalist, in 2021, for Automotive woman of the year.

Claire has worked in FE & Skills for over 15 years, across Further Education and Work-based learning as a teacher, assessor, curriculum leader, operations manager and has set up a previous provider.  

Having spent the last 20 years in the commercial world, most recently (over the last 11 years) as an Area Manager for Porsche and Bentley within the automotive industry, Stephen is looking forward to applying that real-world experience within a sector where he can hopefully make a positive difference to the lives of others.  Stephen sees Apprenticeships as a hugely powerful tool in the aim of widening the accessibility of higher education to a wider audience, as well as supporting the further development of our already skilled and capable workforce.  Therefore, having the opportunity to potentially contribute to that, in some small way, is a huge privilege!

Lucy’s role at LTHT involves supporting people from a range of backgrounds to ‘Get in’ to roles in the trust. She leads the recruitment for our entry level Apprentice Clinical Support Worker and Business Administration apprenticeship programmes, as well as engaging with schools to share information about roles in healthcare. Lucy works with Leeds Health and Care Academy on schools and apprenticeship projects, manages the Project Search supported internship programme, the Graduate Trainee Scheme and advises on work experience for the trust.  Internally Lucy works to provide our teams with information to promote their departments in schools and ensure current staff career progression, as well as with CSUs to develop talent pathways for their areas

Allison is  the Learning and Development Manager at Swift Group leading a team of 5 technical trainers and a business administrator apprentice. Together they are responsible for the learning and development of 1300 staff members. This year they are relaunching our apprenticeship programme and will be taking on 50 on-site L3 Engineer fitter apprentices and L2 engineering operations apprentices giving them a grand total of 74. Allison is responsible for developing the programme and is working towards a full relaunch of the scheme.

Jan is the CEO of Occupational Awards Limited and manages all aspects of its operations including the development and delivery teams for qualifications and Apprenticeship standards.  She has over 30 years’ experience of the strategic and operational management of apprenticeship and other training programmes with work-based learning providers and private, public and voluntary sector training organisations.  She has extensive experience of quality delivery and improvement along with product and curriculum development.

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Jan is committed to continuous improvement and passionate about improving the effectiveness and quality of apprenticeships and education and training.  She has a wide range of experience of working in a collaborative context with employers and training providers to develop End Point Assessment, apprenticeship and vocational programmes. 

Oliver has worked in the manufacturing industry since leaving school, starting his career as an apprentice at BAE Systems. He spent 14 years in the plastics industry, working in several areas before settling in to the role of Product Development Engineer. He has worked for Swift as a Technical Training Specialist since April 2021 and is part of a L&D team of 7 people.

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The team is responsible for all aspects of training required within the business. Oliver’s main responsibility is the management and development of the Swift Academy Apprenticeship Scheme. His goal is to provide the same positive and beneficial experience he received as an apprentice, as well as passing on the valuable knowledge obtained throughout his career.

Lynne has been Director of Apprenticeships at the University of Sheffield for over 4 years working directly with large NHS Trusts and Primary Care settings delivering regulated apprenticeship standards to over 400 Trainee Nurses (and associates) along with Advanced Care Practitioners annually. Working alongside large NHS Trusts and the primary care sector across Yorkshire and Humberside.

Lynne is a qualified teacher and has a Master’s Degree in Post 16 education. She has significant experience of teaching and management in Further and higher education institutions. Prior to working in education, Lynne trained as a nurse and has a Postgraduate Diploma in social work. She maintains her registration to practice nursing and as an approved mental health practitioner. Lynne also has experience of inspecting care homes, residential schools and childcare settings, and has recently become an occasional OFSTED inspector, specialising in level 6/7 apprenticeships.   

Dorothy has worked in Health and Social Care for over 30 years and joined Anchor as a care assistant and has had various role since including Home Manager, Training Specialist, Apprenticeship Advisor and now her current role.

Throughout her career one thing that has always inspire her is to support colleagues whether new to the organisation or existing colleagues to keep on developing and grow on their career journeys. Her role as Apprenticeship Specialist at Anchor gives her the ideal opportunity to do just this.

Ann is a People Professional and 3 x Graduate with a background in public sector, finance, housing, customer services and utilities sectors. Currently the Funded Learning Lead for Yorkshire Water, she looks after the Graduate Programmes, Apprenticeships, Adult Education Budget and other funded learning programmes across the Yorkshire region.  An avid believer in ongoing development, Ann’s vocation is to find the best learning avenue for each person she supports and aligning their development with the continuous improvement of her organisation. 

Lucy has worked in Apprenticeships for the past 11 years with experience in the delivery of apprenticeships from an apprenticeship provider and then the management of apprenticeship programmes within industry. Lucy’s joined Yorkshire Water in January 2024 and her focus within the business is to champion apprenticeships, provide pastoral support to apprentices and core stakeholders within the apprenticeship learner journey and enhance the apprenticeship programmes on offer. Lucy has a passion for skills and personal development and works to ensure that apprenticeship standards enhance the skills and development of the workforce which includes encouraging subject matter experts to join apprenticeship trailblazer groups as well as delivering additional training to Yorkshire Water apprentices to enhance their employability skills.

As Apprenticeship Development and Compliance Partner, Claire is responsible for the quality and compliance of apprenticeship programmes within NG Bailey.  Within her role at NG Bailey Claire is also responsible for the recruitment, onboarding, coaching and development of apprentices within Yorkshire, Northeast and Scotland.

Claire has over 10 years’ experience in Apprenticeships and funded provision working within early careers previously working in independent training providers and colleges. Claire is passionate about Apprenticeships and the versatility they offer for early careers, graduates and long term learning and development career opportunities.

Emily is a passionate Cyber Security Professional with over 20 years of experience in cyber security, gained during her time in the British Army. She trains Anglo American Cyber Security Apprentices in a Level 4 Diploma. With both training provider and employer responsibilities, Emily is passionate about developing the next generation of cyber security professionals as they bring their new skills and fresh perspectives to the workplace. Based in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, her hobbies include open-water swimming and cycling.

Passionate about the strategic use of apprenticeships to attract and retain future talent. Currently managing the apprenticeship provision at Flutter UK&I, the UK’s largest gambling/gaming organisation. Experienced in introducing new schemes for direct entry and existing colleagues, raising the profile of apprenticeships with senior stakeholders and supporting apprentices to ensure a consistently high learning experience.

Siobhan has over 20 years of educational sector experience, with a specialism in employer training and apprenticeships since 2011. She is committed to helping people fulfil their potential and looking at new ways to support the learner experience.  Prior to joining Pearson in 2020, Siobhan had 14 years of experience working for local government, supporting a number of large employers in early career and apprenticeship training programmes.

Becky works as part of a team of 2 managing over 600 apprentices across all areas of the Morrisons’ business from Retail, Manufacturing and Logistics to IT and Construction. She is passionate about helping and developing others and has over 15 years of experience in Learning and Development. She enjoys travel and adventures and regularly combines the two.

Darren joined AESSEAL in October 2020 after a 24-year career in the British Army. As a Royal Engineer he spent most of his career at high readiness with Commando and Airborne Forces and has served across the globe in a variety of roles. He finished his soldier career as a Regimental Sergeant Major of a Leadership and Training organisation of circa 650 people, and was selected for commission to Captain, but instead chose to transfer his knowledge, skills, and experience to civilian industry. Passionate about leadership and development, he is currently the UK Learning and Development Manager for AESSEAL plc and is the apprenticeship / early careers lead for the UK business.

Rebecca works for an independent training provider as a development coach supporting digital marketing and content producer apprentices on their level 3 and 4 programmes.

She also mentors other development coaches and trainers in the delivery team, running Apprentify’s induction programme and building development opportunities for all colleagues.  Apprentify values mentoring as a proactive approach that can have a positive impact on practitioner wellbeing and career progression, as part of a whole organisation learning culture.

Rebecca believes that successful apprenticeship outcomes depend on a winning team and this involves supporting learners, their managers and the tutors in their roles.

Fera, based in York, is a national and international centre of excellence for interdisciplinary investigation and problem solving across plant and bee health, crop protection, sustainable agriculture, food and feed quality and chemical safety in the environment.  Fera Science is proof that apprenticeships harness new talent that bring innovative ideas, enabling us to continue to deliver our world-class science, whilst also developing the next generation of scientists.  Recruiting talent through apprenticeships is central to our growth strategy. 

In recognition of the commitment by Fera to its apprenticeship programme, they won Large Employer of the Year in 2017 at the York Apprenticeship Awards.  Philippa is the Business Support Manager  and has worked at Fera for the last five years, since 2016  she has worked within the Business Change Team, and focuses on progressing the recruitment strategy within Fera, which includes the Fera Apprenticeship programme and developing the recruitment pipeline for their current and future opportunities.

Born and educated in Carlisle, Carolyn has 30 years’ experience of managing people and developing their skills. She has a keen interest in getting the best out of people and moved into a training role, specialising in retail security before going on to develop and deliver staff training packages throughout the UK.

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In 1995 she joined the Hull based telephone interpreting specialists, Language is Everything where she is now the owner and Managing Director. Carolyn is passionate about Hull and the East Riding; she is a past president of the Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce and in 2010 was awarded an MBE for service to business in Yorkshire and the Humber.  

I'm an incredibly passionate advocate of changing the perception and raising the profile of British Manufacturing - especially for the next generation - who are the future of manufacturing here in the UK.  It's an incredibly exciting time for British Manufacturing, a time of change, evolution and rejuvenation of the sector.

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In July 2017 I graduated from the Goldman Sachs 10KSBUK programme which has been pivotal in helping us on our growth trajectory. Being the Managing Director of Daletech Electronics, one of the most renowned niche manufacturing companies in Leeds, and with 30 years' experience working in the electronics manufacturing industry, it is my duty and honour to back calls for more to be done to encourage young people to get into the region’s sector.

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We are part of the Leeds Manufacturing Alliance, and have been involved in the organisation of the Leeds Manufacturing Festival - an incredibly dynamic and successful event that brought Manufacturing front and centre for both students and corporates in Yorkshire.

Sara is a CIPD qualified, experienced HR Director with the passion for developing, supporting and growing people so that they can succeed to the next level. She is constantly developing her knowledge and skills and is also a CPC Transport Manager (Road Haulage).   Earlier this year Sara became a Mental Health First Aider so that she can help people. 

LEW Electrical Distributors is one of the UK's leading independent electrical wholesaler. Nick provides the HR function for over 11 branches spanning across the Yorkshire and Humber region. He has a passion for driving the benefits of quality apprenticeship pathways and has a real focus on ensuring apprentices are supported in the work environment. Nick works in partnership with multiple agencies such as education providers and local employers to provide support, guidance and mentoring to individuals on local opportunities, apprenticeship pathways and employment opportunities. 

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Nick believes that apprentices offer real benefits to organisations and they are fundamental in achieving organisational success. Furthermore, creating more opportunities for local residents striving to succeed in both their professional and personal goals, Apprenticeships provide a real gateway for change, growth and success.

Michelle joined KwikTuf Ltd in 2005, when the company began.  KwikTuf Ltd has two manufacturing sites in Hull, producing a range of glass and safety glass products, such as Double Glazed Units, Balustrade and Balcony Panels, Splash-backs, Mirrors and Shelving.

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Michelle has 30 years experience in HR and Health and Safety but is new to the Ambassadors Network.  KwikTuf Ltd currently employ around 110 staff, 10 of whom have joined the company via their apprenticeship programme over the last 5 years.  The company aims to create at least two new apprentice positions each year but is also focusing on apprenticeship programmes and up-skilling for its existing workforce.