Insight - November 2023 by ACT

insight ISSUE 28, NOVEMBER 2023

ACT at 35 years Celebrating more than three decades of improving lives through learning

All the fang-tastic things you can do with pumpkins PLUS... all the latest news from across the business

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welcome Hello everyone. It was brilliant to see everyone together at our Strategy Day at Cardiff City stadium. This is something we’re planning to do every year from now on. It was great to reflect on all the progress we’ve made over the last 35 years, whilst reminding ourselves of our purpose and setting our sights on the future. Many thanks for everyone’s feedback on Our Plan, which will be published shortly along with monthly performance snapshots and quarterly progress reports. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy reading another bumper edition of Insight! Best wishes, Richard

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important dates

Christmas Party Friday 1st December

Christmas Shutdown Friday 22nd December

contents In the Know

ACT Celebrates 35 Years of Success

Council Employee Finds New Opportunities through Apprenticeship

Meet the Business Development Team

Staff Recognition Awards

Staff in the Spotlight

The Scary Truth About Pumpkins

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Reflections of a Retiring Receptionist

The Book Club

Have You Heard?

Welcome to Our Newest Recruits

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know ACT Wins Workplace Wellbeing Award ACT has won a prestigious accolade at the Mental Health and Wellbeing Wales Awards this month. ACT took home the Workplace Wellbeing prize at a ceremony in Cardiff’s City Hall on October 2. The award acknowledged the company’s dedication to its staff in particular, celebrating the programmes and culture in place to promote better mental health and wellbeing within ACT as a workplace. At the awards, ACT was praised for its commitment to underpin wellbeing initiatives including regular staff advisory panels, an open-door policy with its directors, and a number of schemes and courses to encourage staff to take time out of regular working hours for selfcare and improvement. Talking about the win, Richard Spear said: “It is fantastic to be recognised for our efforts in such an important part of workday life. It may be obvious but we at ACT believe that if staff are coming into the office happy, then they will do the best that they can do. Given that we work with learners this is especially important not just for staff and the business but for the community we serve. “We are constantly reviewing and monitoring the effectiveness of our wellbeing initiatives and, while this award win is a fantastic acknowledgment of our commitment, we are always striving to do more for staff and learners.”

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Appeal for Skiing Equipment

Curriculum Champions

ACT Schools’ once-in-a-lifetime trip to Italy takes place in January 2024.

The newly formed Curriculum Champions working group met for the first time in August. The group has been set up in order to help boost our curriculum offering in ACT, and to provide a consistent high-quality experience for our learners, across all provisions.

In order for learners to take part in the activities, we need to ensure that learners have the equipment and clothing that they need. If anyone has any unwanted ski gear they wish to donate, the team are asking for: •

Ski jackets

•

Salopettes

•

Ski gloves

•

Ski goggles

•

Ski socks

•

Thermals

The team will be meeting on a monthly basis to share best practice and inspiration, and to ensure our delivery teams have the support they need in creating and utilising curriculum resources, whilst meeting ACT's standards and the expectations of our learners. Curriculum Development Manager, Sam Holland, said: "The Curriculum Champions are in place to be champions for good practice and innovation when it comes to curriculum development at ACT, and to bridge the gap between our delivery teams and our Curriculum Development Team.

If you can help out, please contact Katie Schaffer Ideally the team would like the equipment by the end of November as this allows time to take stock and sort out any missing items or mishaps.

“We'll be meeting every month to look at emerging themes and technologies, and how we can use these to support our practitioners in giving our learners the best possible experience, in terms of the resources that we are providing."

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ACT celebrates 35 years of success ACT has now been ‘improving lives through learning’ for 35 years.

Zoe Goodall, Delivery Director, said of the achievement: “The result helped us secure huge growth in our contracts almost doubling by 2010 - and deliver even more programmes to both young people and adults in Wales.

ACT launched in September 1988 on The Parade in Cardiff, delivering training to 200 unemployed adults in its first year. Since then it has gone on to help over 75,000 learners achieve their career goals, working with more than 14,000 employers across Wales.

“This success then led to the acquisition by Cardiff and Vale College in 2016 which was hugely important in securing the future of ACT and ensuring we continue to support even more people in Wales to improve lives through learning.”

Louise Williams, Operations Director, who joined the company in 1999, said: “At the time ACT was founded there was high unemployment in Wales with a severe lack of opportunities for unskilled adults and youths. ACT's founders felt a real responsibility to do something about it and make a change.”

It will come as no surprise that the education sector has seen huge changes since the eighties, not just in the way courses are delivered with the development of new technology, but also in its challenges and subject matter. Talking about the importance of training now, Zoe said: “We have developed new programmes and pathways to support employers with continued professional development for their employees and also evolved and adapted the way in which we deliver programmes to young people in Wales to meet their changing needs, particularly post pandemic.”

As well as providing training to adults, in 1993 ACT began delivering a youth training provision, something that has developed into a key offering for the business. In 2006, ACT became the first work-based learning provider to achieve all Grade 1 in an Estyn Inspection.

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Louise added: “NEET (not in education, employment or training) numbers across Wales are increasing, along with challenges for young people including additional learning needs, mental health, and a struggling labour market. “Mainstream education isn't a 'one fits all' so alternative provision needs to be available. The need to support adults in upskilling and changing their career has also increased now that people are working for longer.” Looking ahead to the future, ACT is keen to build on the success of the last 35 years by being even more innovative and creative with what is delivered. Zoe added: “We want to support even more people in Wales whether that be in their professional development, to progress in their careers or to ensure young people have the best possible opportunities to reach their full potential.” Richard Spear, reflecting on more than three decades of growth in Wales, said: "It is fantastic to be recognised for our efforts in such an important part of work life. It may be obvious, but at ACT we firmly believe that

the happier and more engaged our team are, the better job they will do for the learners, employers and colleagues that they support. “While the way we deliver training, as well as the needs of our employers, may have changed since 1988, our mission to support learners in their educational, career and personal goals continues to be our focus - this has allowed us to navigate through recent times of uncertainty and development. “We look forward to building on this incredible milestone as part of the Cardiff and Vale College (CAVC) Group and working with the Welsh Government and our partners to help more people achieve their goals.” CEO of Cardiff and Vale College group, Mike James, said: “Many congratulations to ACT on the significant milestone. “As a collaborative group we are continuing to increase opportunities for young people, and promoting learning to improve lives, throughout Wales. For ACT to be celebrating 35 years of providing these opportunities is an incredible achievement.”

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35 years of ACT

at 45 The Parade, Cardiﬀ Andrew Cooksley Managing Director

Delivering training to 200 unemployed adults

31 Members of staﬀ

40 Members of staﬀ

£1 million contract

£3.1 million contract

1 partner

Development Director Caroline Cooksley joined

On our ﬁrst Estyn Inspection we achieved a record 6 Grade 1s (ﬁrst ever in UK) Delivery Director Zoe Goodall joined

Largest ever Welsh Government contract £24 million

Ranked 74th in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies

Won Business in the Community Cymru (BITC) Inspiring Young Talent Award

Awarded Matrix quality standard for Information, Advice and Guidance

200 members of staﬀ and 16 partners

Head Oﬃce and Cardiﬀ Skills Centre moved to Ocean Park House

Ashley Coleman won Traineeship Learner of the Year, Apprenticeship Awards Cymru (AAC)

Jonathan Davies joined ACT as our Skills Ambassador

ACT Schools was formed

Estyn Good Award

Named ‘Responsible Large Business of the Year 2018’ (BITC) Acquired ALS (formely Acorn’s training division) Ranked 59th in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies Recognised by Wales’ Fast Growth 50 list for 8 inclusions over the last 20 years

First Learner Representative

20 partners and 350+ members of staﬀ Kirsty Keane won Work-based Learning Tutor of the Year (AAC) Carly Murray won Work-based Learning Assessor of the Year (AAC) Stella Vasiliou won Traineeship Learner of the Year (AAC)

Ranked 35th in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies

Caroline Cooksley (Development Director) awarded MBE following Andrew Cooksley's MBE award a year previous Louisa Mallett (Business Services Trainer) named as VQ Trainer of the Year

ACT ranked 52nd in Sunday Times Best Companies to Work for List ACT awarded Platinum Accreditation by Investors in People

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Moved to Coopers Yard

Began delivering the Youth Training Provision

Operations Director Louise Williams joined

Opened our Bridgend Skills Centre

90 members of staﬀ £8.6 million contract 5 partners

Opened our Cardiﬀ Skills Academy in Hadﬁeld Road

Ranked 78th in The Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100

Louisa Mallett won Work-based Learning Practitioner of the Year (AAC)

Ranked 64th in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies

Cory Rowlands won Traineeship Learner of the Year (AAC)

Provider Award for Partnership Working (AAC)

Janet Bevan won Higher Apprentice of the Year (AAC)

Opened our Caerphilly Skills Academy

Achieved Investors in People (IIP) Gold Status

Joined the CAVC family as a wholly owned subsidiary

Richard Spear joined as ACT’s new Managing Director

Emily Wintle won Traineeship Learner of the Year (Level 1) (AAC)

Chris Hughes won Work-based Learning Tutor of the Year (AAC)

Ranked 7th Best Gold employer by Investors in People (IIP)

Opened our Blackwood and Newport Skills Centres

Ros Smith won Work-based Learning Tutor of the Year (AAC)

Rebecca Cooper won HR Professional of The Year in the Education Sector at the Wales HR Awards

Barry and Aberdare centres opened

ACT named 'UK Platinum Employer of the Year' at Investors in People Awards Learner, Alisha Thomas, awarded Gold at Worldskills and Skills Competition Wales

Sunday Times Best Companies List - ACT ranked as 5th Best Education & Training Organisation, 11th Best Company to Work for in Wales

ACT ranked 27th in the 'Top 100 Most Inclusive Workplaces' list at the FREDIE Awards

Inspire! Adult Learning Award given to Jenna Smith, Healthcare Learner

Skills Competition Wales Winners: Gold - Kavan Cox, Stephanie Watkins, Sara Queen Bronze- Kain Davies

Angelina Mitchell named Work-based Learning Practitioner of the Year and Jayne Williams named Higher Apprentice of the Year

World Welsh Learner of the Year (Intermediate Level) awarded to Angelina Mitchell, Digital IQA Assessor

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Council employee finds new opportunities through apprenticeship There are many common misconceptions when it comes to apprenticeships, from the age and experience of people who undertake them to the subjects on offer, but in short apprenticeships can be a great option for anyone no matter what your job role. A perfect example of this is IT Users NVQ Level 3 learner, Kevin Hughes.

“It appealed to me because I needed a better understanding of Office 365 tools to do my job and it would be done in my working hours not during my home life,” Kevin said.

Kevin, 46, works for Bridgend County Borough Council as a Cleaner Streets Officer. In his day-to-day work he deals with fly tipping, abandoned vehicles and commercial waste offences.

“During the apprenticeship, I have developed a better understanding of PowerPoint, Excel and Word, and what each of them can create. I have also secured my online presence and better protected my information.

Kevin originally enrolled on the course as he worked with a lot of different software for his role, particularly Office 365, and wanted a better understanding of how to get the most from them.

“We have started doing school presentations on recycling, as well as projects to help different housing estates recycle and dispose of refuse correctly. We use excel a lot to present the information, so I have now been able to take the lead with some of these due to the new skills I have learnt.”

The IT Users apprenticeship provides learners with the knowledge to develop their digital skills with a focus on common workplace systems like Microsoft Office and Google Drive.

The course also helped Kevin with a job interview as one of the units covered is about PowerPoint. Kevin needed to create a presentation for the interview and was able to do so with the knowledge gained.

The course covers improving productivity, understanding the potential of IT and developing personal and team effectiveness using IT.

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It secured him the role he has now, moving from a Waste Education and Enforcement Officer to a Cleaner Streets Officer.

developing and knowing that I had a helping hand in supporting him to achieve his end goal was wonderful.

During the apprenticeship, Kevin was supported by Digital Learning Practitioner Assessor, Jolene Plant.

“Kevin and I had a good working relationship, I was very honest with him when I took over as his assessor and I think he appreciated this. He always knew where he was and what needed to be done. In return, Kevin put in a lot of effort in order to achieve the end goal.

Kevin said: “Working with Jolene was an absolute pleasure; she was so patient with me and added in extra sessions so I could catch up. “Any resubmissions that were needed got to me as soon as they were spotted so I was able to complete units on time. “I was given support with research and learning tools to help. This has been a fantastic learning experience for me and would recommend ACT to anyone.”

“I really enjoyed our meetings, as well as focusing on the qualification, it was also lovely to chat with Kevin about day-to-day activities and have general conversations. I will miss our regular meetings, but I wish Kevin the best of luck for the future and, hopefully, I may get the chance to work with him again.”

Jolene added: “I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Kevin during his qualification. It has been so lovely to see his skills

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Meet the Business Development Team

This quarter, we caught up with the Business Development team. The team is responsible for nurturing and expanding our important relationships with employers and signing up new apprenticeship learners. This helps drive growth and opportunities for our Apprenticeship programmes. Here we chat to each of the team members...

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Claire Mirbelle Head of Business Development “I manage the Business Development team at ACT and have worked here since February 2013. Before that I worked for another training provider for nine years in a very similar role. I am passionate about WBL, ACT and my team. We are a dynamic team driven by first class customer service – for our employers, learners and colleagues. We have recently moved to floor two (at OPH) and have had a very warm welcome from everyone in the delivery team. Thank you all. As a group, we are working more and more collaboratively with ALS and CAVC. Our aim is to become a “one stop shop” for training and development for our employers. The group offering is vast and worth approximately £128m of funding this year!"

Daniel Williams Business Development Manager “I have been working within ACT for three years, I started here on a temporary contract in February 2019 and have refused to leave since. My role is a mixture of account management with our existing clients and bringing in new business for the company. It’s a frenetic job, where organisation is paramount and the ability to think on your feet is key. But it’s the drive to beat targets and keep stakeholders and clients happy that really motivates me. No two days are the same and you’re never quite sure what opportunities the next conversation is going to lead to.”

Jackie Davies Apprenticeship Co-ordinator "I joined ACT eight years ago as part of the Business Admin team and moved to the Business Development team six years ago, firstly as an apprenticeship advisor and now as an apprenticeship co-ordinator. I specifically support with our Health Board clients and part of my time is based withing the L&D department at Aneurin Bevan UHB. An important part of my role is to support and encourage their staff on to our funded programmes. No two days are the same and I am in constant contact with divisional leads, managers and learners alike. I love working with so many people in very different roles and helping them all on their learning journey.”

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Adam Castle Apprenticeship Advisor “I have worked for ACT for over seven years and have always been part of business development. I love being part of such a dynamic team who are very motivated and always go above and beyond to help each other out. I have had a couple of different roles during my time with ACT but currently I’m an apprenticeship advisor and look after the sign up for each learner when starting their qualification. I really enjoy interacting with our learners. My role also includes liaising with employers to ensure they’re supportive of the learner and gather evidence to complete Welsh Gov paperwork. I have in-depth conversations with our learners to make sure they’re committed to the qualification and understand what it entails."

Sue Edwards Business Development Manager “I have been a business development manager with ACT for eight years and in the same role with another training provider for seven years prior to this. My role includes managing relationships with all of our Health Board clients and some of our other large employers. Generally, these relationships are multi-contact and we look at the long-term plans of our larger employers and develop 12 month plans with them. Part of my role also includes presenting awareness sessions for employers, line managers and learners. This could be for existing clients looking to raise awareness of apprenticeships or it could be for managers and staff at a prospective new employer. The most important aspect of my role is to listen to the client’s needs and make sure they know exactly who to call for any advice.”

Jo Etherington Business Development Manager "I am one of the business development managers here at ACT. I have been with ACT for six months now. My main role is to find and win new business and help to meet our starts targets. My day-to-day role is really varied. I spend time meeting and speaking with new potential businesses to work with, attending networking events, following up on enquiries and talking to learners. I work closely with lots of different teams and really like the collaborative nature of the business and my role. No two days are the same in the team, so it's great that everyone is so helpful and supportive and quick to jump in where needed.”

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Ben Mullins Apprenticeship Advisor “I have worked as an apprenticeship advisor at ACT for seven years. My role focuses on the start of the learner journey by liaising and building a rapport with the learner during our appointment. Here I support the learner in completing the relevant paperwork for the Welsh Government. During our appointment I assist the learner with having a clear understanding of the qualification and what it entails, helping them to feel positive and motivated. I really enjoy working within such a helpful and supportive team who display the ACT core values on daily a basis.”

Amanda Symons Business Development Manager “I have been within work-based learning for eight years through a number of different roles at ACT. My role is to manage existing employer relationships as well as look for new clients. My role is extremely fast paced so organisational and time management skills are key. Our job in Business Development is to support our employers with all their training needs. I am passionate about customer service at every level, be that learners, employers and other stakeholders. I advise potential learners on our qualification offerings and where that fits in with their current job role. I also manage the process up until sign up which is done by Adam or Ben. I love working in Team BD as we all support each other. No two days are ever the same. We learn something every day!"

Maria Gillard Vacancy Co-ordinator "I work as the vacancy co-ordinator on the Business Development Team. My role is varied and very satisfying as I help our employers find new apprentices. When the right candidate is found I ensure the smooth onboarding of the new apprentice. Other key parts of my role include helping employer and learners progress to apprenticeships from our JGW + programme. My speciality area is enrolling hair, beauty and barbering apprentices. I also tend to be the person who enrols learner who are brand new to their employer. I work closely with the learning support team to ensure that learner needs are highlighted as soon as possible so appropriate support is offered as early as possible."

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Staff Recognition Awards 2023 A huge congratulations to the following ACT staff who have been awarded Staff Recognition Awards. We always love hearing about staff going above and beyond to help others. That’s why the Staff Recognition Awards are the perfect opportunity to shine a light on some great colleagues. If you want to show your appreciation you can leave them kudos through Iris HR. You never know, they may be a featured winner in the next round of awards.

Going the Extra Mile

Displaying Core Values

Winner Nathan Blackwell

Winner Kelly Harry

"Nathan continues to support colleagues across the ACT network in relation to their provision and making sure that learners are at the centre of all discussions and decisions. We received incredibly positive feedback and that reflects Nathan's support and work with MPCT."

“Kelly has been incredible in taking over commercial and FE coaching learners when Chris Hughes became ill. She took these learners into her route without question and worked tirelessly to source alternative tutors to complete them as well as to catch up on where they were all at with their qualifications. This, on top of her already busy role, is definitely going the extra mile for our learners. This has been a huge help and relief to me and to ACT at a very difficult and upsetting time.”

Winner Julie Baker “Well done on the idea to run the Hadfield open day, it was a great success and this was down to you having the drive and idea to run it.”

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Supporting Staff

Supporting Learners

Winner Ceri-Ann Owen

Winner Ceri Griffiths

“Ceri-Ann has been doing a lot recently to support her colleagues with remote invigilation. She has been offering them training and joining their sessions to help where she can. This has been very much appreciated by her team.”

“Ceri has supported a learner to complete an ESQ and the learner commented the following - ‘I gained confidence and trust in myself after doing math skills with Ceri Griffiths. She made my classes so easy every time I was there. Thanks for everything and the trust you had in me.’ Da iawn and wonderful support shown.”

“Thank you for helping me with remote invigilation over the past few days. You have been clear explaining everything and answers all questions that I had!”

“Ceri has received lovely feedback from a learner after the learner attended a skill session and completed the qualification. They said: 'Hi I enjoyed learning with you and my confidence has gone up and I trust myself now more with regards to numeracy. Thanks Ceri once again'.”

“Ceri-Ann has given excellent guidance and support to a new member of staff. She has really helped the member of staff settle in and to ask any questions that is needed. Well done and thank you for the support given.

“Ceri had wonderful feedback from a learner she has supported to complete their AON qualification. The learner made the following comment: 'Thank you very much for all your support through this course which I found extremely hard but like you said hours of revision and a few one-to-ones with you paid off. I never thought I would ever be to ever pass a maths exam and I am very proud of what I have achieved’.”

Winner Dean Knapton “Thanks for your help with fitting the summer club banner. I definitely needed your second opinion!” “Dean has been really helpful developing our behaviour policy and supporting our risk assessments. He has made a big difference in how we operate safely and manage difficult processes easily.”

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STAFF IN THE

spotlight

New Commercial Operations Assistant, Jessica Stiff, shares a bit about her role and what a day in the life of a Learning for Work team member looks like.

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Tell us a little bit about your role, and what the average day looks like… I find great satisfaction in my role as a Commercial Operations Assistant, collaborating closely with the Learning for Work department. My typical workday starts with a review of my emails, which helps me gauge the upcoming workload and tasks at hand. On certain days, I handle room bookings and setup arrangements for both internal and external people and other times my responsibilities include preparing certificates to be sent out and keeping a track on them. During quieter periods, I engage in training activities or help out in the workplace, such as room decorating, cabinet cover removal, or helping a colleague out by printing pictures. What is the most rewarding part of your job? I take pride in being able to assist people when they're busy and acknowledging people’s hard work by sending out certificates to those who have successfully passed their course. Tell us an interesting fact about yourself… I may not consider myself interesting. I used to be quite sporty, participating in basketball, netball, rugby, and football. Now I mainly enjoy listening to music or going out on a girls' night out.

What is the last album you listened to? The last album I listened to was by A Boogie Wid the Hoodie and a YouTube mix featuring Ray Blk, Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars, Christina Aguilera and all the R&B oldies. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? I worked as a sales assistant at Foot Locker, and it was a demanding role. I often found myself juggling multiple tasks, yet I would still be called out on the store's intercom system by my manager whenever a customer walked toward someone else who appeared less busy. The job required me to be constantly on my feet, and slow days seemed to stretch on forever. In the end, I didn't feel like it was a good fit for me. How do you like to spend your time when you’re not working. I enjoy staying productive, as I tend to get easily bored. This means I always seek activities to keep myself engaged, whether it's watching TV or spending quality time with friends and family. What would be your top tip for colleagues? Maintain a positive attitude even on challenging days. Avoiding self-doubt is crucial, the more you doubt yourself, the more you limit your potential for achievement.

Where is the best place you have travelled to? Being quite young, I haven't had the opportunity to travel abroad yet but it's definitely on my list. I have, however, ventured outside of Cardiff for events such as Wireless Festival in London and Bristol Carnival - a cultural and community event held annually that features a colourful parade, live music and various other festivities celebrating Caribbean and the wider African cultures. I also enjoy a week away in a caravan.

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The scary truth about pumpkins

It is officially the spooky season and it’s safe to say the one thing scarier than the Halloween festivities are the facts surrounding pumpkin waste at this time of year.

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25%

33%

throw it in the bin as food waste

cook the edible pumpkin they carve out

19%

20%

add it to the compost heap

put it in the food collection

What to do with leftover Halloween pumpkin? Lastly, if pumpkins are going to be thrown away then they should go into home food waste bins. Food waste is generally taken for anaerobic digestion which gathers the methane released during decomposition. This is used as a low carbon biogas for buildings like Ocean Park House's gas boiler.

The best thing to do is, of course, eat them. The seeds can be cleaned, roasted and eaten. Even the skins can be roasted or air fried until crispy! As for the flesh, well we have the perfect pumpkin pie recipe in this issue of Insight. The second option would be to give them to animals. A number of petting zoos welcome donations of pumpkins, just do your research as to what wildlife can safe consume the squash as some can become sick after eating them.

Remember: Placing pumpkins in general waste should be avoided. If your home general waste is sent to landfill, then the methane released during the decomposition process becomes trapped in the bin bags. When the methane is eventually released it can be up to 80 times more harmful to the environment than CO2.

Thirdly, composting pumpkins at home provide nutrient for your garden come spring. Home composting is a good way to add valuable nutrients to your garden and reduce the carbon emissions of food waste collection vehicles.

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Pumpkin Pie If you don’t want to contribute to the 18,000 tonnes of wasted pumpkin the UK generates each year then we’ve got the recipe for you. Pumpkin Pie is a delicious (and surprisingly easy) dish to make with your leftover pumpkin. And if you’re a fan of the Starbucks PSL you’ll be making batch after batch of this. We can’t think of a better autumnal treat. Ingredients 350g ready rolled shortcrust pastry 600g of cubed pumpkin flesh (seeds removed) 150g light brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon ½ tsp ground ginger Pinch ground cloves 2 large eggs, beaten 100ml evaporated milk a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg Method Step 1 Pre-heat the oven to 200°C and line the bottom of an approx 22cm tart case with a circle of baking paper. Step 2 Place the pumpkin in a roasting dish lined with greaseproof paper and roast for 30 minutes until tender. Cool slightly and blend into a smooth puree. Step 3 Meanwhile, remove the pastry from the fridge for 5 minutes then roll out on a lightly floured surface to approx

3mm thickness. Place in a tart case, using your fingers to press gently into the edges. Use a knife to cut off any excess. Cover with a tea towel and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. Step 4 Turn the oven down to 180°C. Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans or a few handfuls of uncooked rice. Put in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and beans, and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the base is pale golden. Remove from the oven. Step 5 Mix 300g of the pumpkin purée in a large bowl with the sugar, eggs and spices. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk and carefully pour into the pastry case. Step 6 Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until the filling is set, but still slightly wobbly in the centre. Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before serving, dusted with freshly grated nutmeg and whipped cream.

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Reflections of a retiring receptionist

The end of the year will mark an end of an era for a lady we all know at ACT, Jill Williams. Jill is likely one of the first people you met when joining the company as she is our front-of-house at OPH. She is retiring in December and so we caught up with her to see what life on reception has been like for more than 17 years in the business.

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How long have you been at ACT and have you been in the same job role for the entire time? I officially started on January 8th 2007 but I’d been with ACT as a learner and trainee since 2006. I was undertaking an ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) which was needed if you wanted to become a receptionist. I was eager to get a job in that role and so whenever anyone was off sick and needed the reception needed covering I always volunteered.

What have you disliked about the job? I think anyone in a public-facing role will agree that one of the most difficult things about it can be the public. People sometimes phone and don’t know what they want or they do know what they want but not who they need. Again, it goes back to problem solving – you need to be good at that to be able to deal with those interactions day to day. There’s also definitely a shelf life to the excitement you first feel when answering the phone!

The role was a lot more diverse when I first started in terms of the day-to-day stuff, it was more a finance and admin role as well as a receptionist. It was also before emails and so everything was on paper and I had a message pad attached to the phone. Part of the original job description was ‘water the plants and feed the fish’.

What piece of advice would you give to someone looking to pursue a receptionist role? I think you need to have a lot of patience in the role. You also need to be a bit of a chameleon because the role requires you to be a different person from task-to-task, hour-to-hour.

What can you remember of your first day? Because I had been with ACT for a year anyway, it felt like home by the time it was my place of work.

What are your plans for retirement? I have a micro camper van so I will be hopping in that and sleeping in the back with my dog. I have family up north, so I think I’ll be heading to Yorkshire and maybe do a bit of touring around Britain.

What have you loved about the job? My favourite thing about the job is probably training all the youngsters, it’s been a very rewarding experience seeing them go from shy people with their hoods up and their face glued to their phone to confident members of staff who greet people and show visitors around.

It’s all about the freedom for me, I can’t wait to be able to look outside, see it’s a nice day, and go off somewhere on a whim. On the other hand, I also want to be able to spend a week doing nothing if I want to.

I also like the problem solving aspect of the job – I’d say it’s 80 per cent problem solving and it’s key to being a good receptionist.

Do you have any message you would like to leave your colleagues and/or ACT before you go?

Talking of training people on reception. Do you have a rough idea as to how many people you’ve worked with? I’ve definitely trained at least twenty people and yet it still surprises me how quickly people pick it up. One minute you’re guiding them through processes and the next they’re saying ‘don’t worry, you can leave me to this’, they’re just on it! I keep in touch with a lot of the people I’ve trained up, it’s great to see how they’ve progressed.

I think that saying ‘find a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life’ is very true. There have been very few days in my 17 years at ACT that I’ve dreaded coming in. If everyone is as nice to the new lady coming in on reception as they have been to me that would be great.

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How We Learn by Stanislas Dehaene This quarter’s book club read is How We Learn: The New Science of Education and the Brain. In How We Learn, leading neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene delves into the psychological and molecular mechanisms of learning. Drawing on case studies of children who learned despite huge difficulty and trauma, he explains why youth is such a key period, but also assures that our abilities to learn continue into adulthood. We can all enhance our learning and memory at any age and 'learn to learn' by taking advantage of the four pillars of the brain's learning algorithm - attention, active engagement, error feedback and consolidation.

Want to take part in our next book club? If you would like a free copy of this issue’s book please email bookclub@acttraining.org.uk by Friday, November 10.

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You may remember, last quarter’s book club read was self-care guide Hug in a Book. A huge thank you to everyone requested a copy and sent over reader feedback.

Your reviews of our past featured books: “I love this little book. It’s small enough to carry around with you, easy to read and something you can refer to when needed. I like the way the book has been divided into Mind, Body and Soul and the self-care tips are very useful. I have learnt a lot from it.”

“It's a lovely little book you can dip into, with great ideas on how to take better care of yourself - from quick tips to longer term changes you can make. I have already created my vision board and am looking to create my own affirmations now.”

Piera Brown

Michelle Marshall

Have you heard? In this new audio world, podcasts have never been so popular. Every issue of Insight, we’ll pick a work-based relevant show that we think you might like: A Bit of Optimism with Simon Sinek Our podcast recommendation this issue is A Bit of Optimism. Hosted by author and inspirational speaker, Simon Sinek, the show touches on a number of wellbeing topics many with a business context. Recent episodes have discussed the future of leadership, putting purpose over profit, failing well and the conflict of intuition versus reason While we could say a lot more about the podcast, Simon himself summed it up perfectly saying: "I talk with people that inspire me about love, life, leadership, and silver linings. The hope is that we all leave with something I think we need these days… A Bit of Optimism."

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welcome to our newest recruits!

Aleksandro Puszko Schools Youth Learning Mentor

Alissa Buckley Schools Youth Learning Mentor

Angelina Povey Schools Construction Tutor

Annelein Booyse Youth Learning Mentor

Ashleigh Davies Schools Youth Learning Mentor

Cadi Roberts Strategy & Planning Officer

Carrie Campbell Schools Youth Learning Mentor

Ceri Dacruz Youth Learning Mentor

Charlotte Lawrence Schools Youth Learning Mentor

Emma Edwards CCPLD Assessor

Ffion Lewis Animal Care Skills Tutor

Ian Moody JGW+ Learning Support Worker

Jaiy Futcher Youth Learning Mentor

James Legget Schools Youth Learning Mentor

Jamie Coe Junior Graphic Designer

Laura Abraham

Rebecca Broad

Sue Palfrey

Arif Sarker

Nicola Stevens

Sharon Adams

Sophie Davies

Chloe Price

Connor Smart

Susan Martin

Naomi Bellringer

Jess Norris

Beth Roe

Jade Smith

Leanne Kimm-Bannister

Farewell to…

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Jane Wynn Head of Marketing & Communications

Jason Clifford Schools Motor Vehicle Tutor

Jessica Stiff Commercial Operations Assistant

Jessica Williams CCPLD Assessor

Kellie Steele Business Development Manager

Kim Johnson CCPLD Assessor

Lisa Prest Health & Social Care Assessor

Lynsey Toft Essential Skills Tutor

Mary Wall Facilities Services Assessor

Nicola Skym Clinical Health Assessor

Robert Howells Facilities Services Assessor

Samantha Osman Counsellor

Sean Murphy Schools Youth Learning Mentor

Stacey Graham JGW+ Skills Tutor

Tegan Cartlidge Schools Youth Learning Mentor

Sarah Morris

Laura Jones

Meredith Edwards-Davies

Donna Moss

Rhian Lecrass

Lynnemari Gagiano-Davies

Helen Hallam

Steve Marshall

This publication has been brought to you by the Marketing & Communications team. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this issue. If you have suggestions, stories or ideas you’d like to share in future issues please do get in touch with our communications team: communications@acttraining.org.uk Your ideas and input are always welcome!