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ISSUE 10 | MAY 2019
including...
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ACT launch new Caerphilly Skills Centre Giving local young people a new resource to help them succeed.
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VQ Awards 2019
Staff in the Spotlight
Louisa Mallett, Business Services Trainer, has been awarded 'VQ Trainer of the Year'.
This month we have put the spotlight on Rhian Lecrass!
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contents Important things you need to know
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Getting to know senior management
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Events
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Celebrating Success
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Introducing our partner - Portal
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Book Club
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Staff in the spotlight
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Welsh Corner
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Welcome to our new recruits
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welcome We’ve got lots of exciting news in this month’s issue, including the official launch of our new skills centre in Caerphilly. We’re delighted to finally be up and running and on behalf of ACT I’d like to say a huge thanks to all the staff who have worked incredibly hard to make this happen.
named 'VQ Trainer of the Year 2019'. ACT are very proud of you. We also have some news on the eagerly awaited intranet, an update on Job Support Wales and much more. As always, enjoy this month’s issue and please do continue to share your success stories and feedback with us.
A huge round of applause also to Louisa Mallett from Business Services, who was successfully
key dates 26th
27th
May
May
26TH MAY - 4TH JUNE 2019
27TH MAY 2019
Visit our stand at the Urdd Eisteddfod 2019
3rd -7th
July
MONDAY 3RD - FRIDAY 7TH JUNE 2019
Bank Holiday
Caerphilly Open Week
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1st
July
1ST JULY 2019
Intranet Launch (Phase 1)
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important things you need to know...
that’s a big challenge and we have decided to dedicate even more resource to that aim.
WORKING WALES UPDATE
As many of you may know, the programme we’re planning to deliver in the future (as a replacement for Traineeships) is now called Job Support Wales and the advice and guidance referral process, delivered by Careers Wales, is now called Working Wales. Yes, it’s a bit confusing isn’t it?!
Leon Patnett has joined ACT to head up our Youth Engagement and Training programmes (currently Traineeships) and help us with the new tender. Leon started his career as a Youth Worker and has been a senior manager in Careers Wales since 2012. I am sure you will all make him feel welcome.
However, what the Welsh Government is hoping to achieve through the Job Support Wales programme will not change. They want a flexible, tailored approached that is focused on the needs of individual learners. Therefore, rather than wait until the Welsh Government re-run the tendering exercise, we will start to take steps towards that type of approval from August. We think this will benefit learners and place us in an even stronger position for the new tender.
The Welsh Government has said that the new tendering exercise for Job Support Wales is due to start on 11th June, and they hope to appoint contracts by the end of the calendar year. As soon as we hear any more, we’ll let you know and appreciate your patience during this time.
INTRANET
We have developed a new delivery model for the Youth Engagement element of the programme, and will be consulting you on our ideas over the next few weeks.
It’s been in the pipeline for some time, but the wait is almost over. The first phase of the intranet is officially due to launch on Monday 1st July! Here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to know.
New Appointments: To help us implement these changes, and in order to strengthen our learner well-being, we will be making a couple of changes/key appointments.
What is it? The intranet acts as a one-stop shop which aims to improve your day-to-day role by offering a variety of information in one central location.
Katy Wolar is going to head up care, support and guidance and learner well-being for all our programmes across ACT. We want to have the best learner well-being of any provider in the UK. Despite the great progress we’ve already made,
Want to book holiday? Want to check out the latest ACT news? Need to find someone in the company? Head to the intranet.
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Why?
2 years due our limited infrastructure in the region. We have therefore been working with other established providers in the area to transfer our Traineeship learners to more appropriate provision and have also made the decision to centralise the management of our Powys Apprenticeship provision in line with the rest of our Apprenticeship provision. As such, from June onwards our Brecon and Builth Wells centres will close.
As a company with different centres located across Wales it can be difficult sometimes to communicate effectively. The intranet hopes to evolve over time to better connect all ACT staff, reduce the number of company emails and improve communication. When? The intranet will launch on Monday 1st July. As the saying goes though, Rome wasn’t built in a day, so it’s important to remember this is very much the first phase of the intranet. The features of the platform at this stage will be basic but over time and with staff input and feedback it will evolve and adapt more to our staff/company needs. This is very much the beginning of the intranet journey.
HAPPINESS AND ENAGEMENT As you know, staff happiness and engagement is one of our strategic aims. We were therefore chuffed to gain a place on the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to work for list for a second consecutive year. We retained our 2 Star rating demonstrating outstanding levels of staff engagement. Our position on the list, however, dropped from 59th to 72nd which seems to be due to increased performance of other organisations, as our overall points score remained fairly stable (715.6 for 2018 and 707.3 for 2019). Nonetheless, we have taken action to improve happiness and engagement, which has included increasing the salaries for the lowest paid members of staff in the organisation and the creation of a staff-led Sports and Social Club. We will be surveying staff on happiness and engagement over the next few weeks and will use the results to identify further areas for improvement. It’ll be an anonymous survey, so please be honest and help us make ACT an even greater place to work!
How? To access the intranet just launch the internet from your desktop/smartphone. The intranet will automatically open as a landing page. From there you navigate the intranet site like any website. Simply click on the tabs to find the information you need. To get off the intranet site, just close or minimize the page to revisit later. Next steps After the initial launch we’ll be relying on staff feedback to help shape how we move forwards with the intranet. Is there a function that would benefit the site? Is there a feature missing or one that isn’t working properly? Suggestions and input are welcome. Over the coming weeks as we countdown to the launch, you can expect to see sneak peeks, competitions and more, so keep your eyes peeled.
We will also be having another focus on ‘Room 101’ over the next few months and will need your suggestions on how to make ACT a more efficient and effective organisation, with an even greater focus on what is important to learners and employers. We had a great response last time. It is really important that we challenge the way we do things so that we can continually improve the brilliant services we deliver for our learners – and your ideas have done just that, so please keep them coming!
CENTRE UPDATES As you know, ACT strives for the highest possible standards and outcomes for our learners. We have found it difficult to maintain this level of performance in the Powys region over the past
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getting to know…
senior management A ‘normal’ day can include anything from learners refusing to do work to dealing with significant safeguarding incidents
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Who are you and what’s your role?
What’s the biggest challenge your team faces?
My name is Kelly Rowlands and I’m the Senior Schools Manager.
The very nature of the provision means that every day brings a different challenge to the table! A ‘normal’ day can include anything from learners refusing to do work to dealing with significant safeguarding incidents. We are finding that the needs of the learners referred to us are becoming more complex so it’s important that we access as much CPD as possible, to ensure we are able to support them in the best possible way.
What are you responsible for? I am responsible for overseeing all of the schools provision with ACT. This includes ACT Schools, a registered independent school, as well as our part time vocational school provision which runs out of Hadfield Road. What are your plans for the future of ACT? The schools provision has gone through a huge amount of change in the past 3 years so while it would be lovely to have a rest for a few months, there is a real drive to keep growing the provision, not only in terms of occupancy and number of sites, but also in relation to the quality of provision we have on offer. We constantly review our delivery model and curriculum offer to make sure what we are providing is relevant and fun for our learners. We’ve had quite a presence in the Caerphilly Borough for a few years now, so the future aim has to be securing that type of presence in Cardiff as well as across other authorities in South Wales.
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What is your proudest moment at ACT? It has to be the feedback from our recent Estyn visit. It was our first monitoring since registering as an independent school in April 2018. To receive such positive feedback was a moment to remember, it really hit home how far we’ve come and how capable the team are to keep creating an incredible school that has such an impact on the lives of young people. Tell us something we wouldn’t know about you? I once was invited on to an MTV talent show to play ‘Love me tender’ on two recorders at the same time… using my nose!
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events CAERPHILLY LAUNCH On Monday 20th May we launched our new skills centre in Caerphilly town centre, giving local young people a new resource to help them succeed. Located on Market Street (formerly The Bluebell pub) the centre, will offer young people, specifically 16-18 year olds, a range of Traineeship programmes designed to kick start their careers. The launch which was attended by Caerphilly AM Hefin David and ACT Skills Ambassador Jonathan Davis, welcomed staff and learners to the new venue, which offers a variety of meeting, classroom and training rooms in a modern learning environment.
On Monday 20th May we launched our new skills centre in Caerphilly town Andrew Cooksley, MBE commented: "ACT are fully committed to supporting young people fulfil their career potential and our new Caerphilly centre will do just that. As well as providing fantastic training and connecting our learners with local employers, it’s also about helping our young people become happier and more engaged citizens.�
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SPORT & SOCIAL CLUB QUIZ
What you need to know:
Thank you so much to everyone who came along to our first Sport & Social Club Quiz Night on 17th April at the OPH café. It was a great success and a huge congrats to 'The Rejects' team who reigned supreme on the night.
£5 per head, 20 teams of 6 people on a first come, first served basis. Bring Your Own alcohol & snacks.
ACT FOOTBALL TEAM
Due to popular demand another quiz night will be arranged soon. If you'd like to flex your general knowledge skills and fancy an evening of socialising, with a smidge of light-hearted competitiveness, then save your space by emailing SportsAndSocialGroup@acttraining.org.uk
If you’re looking to keep fit and socialise then check out the ACT Football Club. You can check out the meet up timetable here https://doodle.com/poll/44se7hfxzut3fpcu
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celebrating success
CAERPHILLY SCHOOLS
From May, our ACT Schools provision in Caerphilly Schools with Fareshare (https:// fareshare.org.uk/what-we-do/). They divert perfectly edible food from going to landfill. Our ACT Schools provision in Caerphilly have been accepted to receive food for a breakfast club from June onwards. We hope to arrange some volunteer days at their warehouse, so lookout for future volunteering opportunities.
VQ AWARDS We are thrilled to bits to announce that ACT's very own Louisa Mallett, Business Services Trainer, has been awarded 'VQ Trainer of the Year' at the VQ Awards 2019. The awards which took place on 15th May were held at a prestigious ceremony at the National Museum in Cardiff. Now in its 12th year, the coveted VQ Awards celebrate those who use technical, practical and vocational qualifications
to achieve success. The awards help to celebrate those Welsh learners, trainers and employers who are already going the extra mile when it comes to developing vocational skills and qualifications. A massive well done and congratulations to Louisa, from everyone here at ACT. We are incredibly proud of you all for your achievements and for truly embodying ACT's core values.
Commenting on her win, Louisa said, “It means the world to win this award and be recognised for what I do. I'm supported so much by my team and ACT, so it's lovely to be recognised by the wider work-based learning sector too. I really love what I do and appreciate the trust that's put in me to make my training sessions as fun and creative as possible. Well-being is a massive part of this and hope I can continue to not only help learners achieve their qualifications but work on their mental health too.”
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WELTER WEIGHT CHAMPION Congratulations to Adam Mayo, ACT Schools Sports Tutor who was officially crowned ‘Cage Warrior Wales Amateur Welter Weight Champion’ on Saturday 27th April. After successfully defeating his opponent Kieran Bennet, Adam commented, “I am so pleased to have won this title. It’s been a long journey for me to get where I am now with so many ups and downs along the way. I hope this achievement can inspire my students at ACT to achieve big things in their lives.”
COACHING A huge congratulations to Cerys Keevil, Learning and Development/Advice and Guidance Assessor/IQA and Vicky Galloni, Management Route Manager who have passed their final Level 5 Coaching and Mentoring assignments. They now join our growing team of fully qualified coaches. Well done both!
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INSPIRATIONAL COUPLE
ENVIRONMENTAL PLEDGE
Congratulations to Stephen Bailey, Post Officer at our OPH site, who won the ‘Inspirational Couple Award’ in April alongside his fiancé at Slimming World. Steve has lost 16lbs in preparation for his wedding. Well done Steve.
ACT want to commit to an environmental pledge that will benefit us all - the planet, our staff, everyone! We're not naive. We understand that there are areas of our business that aren't ideal from an environmental perspective. However, we still have the opportunity to make small changes as a company that make a wider positive impact.
HEALTH & WELL-BEING As part of ACT’s commitment to improving staff well-being, we have recently introduced a workplace well-being calendar. In April the topic of the month was ‘Smoking’ and staff were encouraged to share their experiences of quitting smoking.
We are asking you, our brilliant staff, to get your thinking caps on and suggest some ideas ACT can get behind. Some simple ideas could include: Team litter picking, Carpooling, reducing use of plastic bottles etc.
Adam Castle, Apprenticeships Advisor, Business Development.
All ideas are welcome. Just click here to have your say.
“I’ve been smoking for around 16-17 years and like most people started smoking as a teenager because I thought it was “cool”.
KNITTERS AND NATTERS
I decided to quit for a lot of reasons but mainly for my health. Giving up smoking has had a massive positive impact on me. Mainly I feel healthier… and I smell better too. I think because I’ve tried and failed so many times in the past to give up smoking that when I finally made up my mind it was a lot easier to stop. Chewing gum has been a massive help as it takes away that initial craving for a cigarette. I occasionally miss smoking after food, but the positives of quitting far out weight the negatives. For anyone looking to give smoking up I’d say you really have to be ready to quit. Once you get past the first 3-4 days it does gets a lot easier.”
Learners from our Hadfield Road Beauty Team recently went along to Taff Housing’s Knitters and Natters club volunteering their beauty services to the group members. Held at one of Taff’s supported housing sites the knitting group meet every week to make items for charities. They have knitted and crocheted a wide variety of things ranging from baby clothes for premature baby units to elephant blankets for India! The learners enjoyed themselves so much so that they hope to volunteer regularly at the Knitters and Natters events.
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Introducing our partner...
Portal Training
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Every issue we will interview a different partner to shine a light on the work they do. This time we spoke to Gwawr Booth from Portal Training. WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT IS YOUR ROLE?
TELL US ABOUT A SCHOOL WHO PORTAL HAVE HELPED?
Gwawr Booth and I’m the Managing Director at Portal Training.
Brynteg C P School – Wrexham The Portal course has had a positive impact on teaching and learning at the school, in particular through the modules that develop the staff’s ability to lead change. The teachers led highly effective projects which had a positive impact on practice and throughout their initiatives both have empowered the rest of the staff ensuring all were involved. They successfully delegated tasks to each teacher to ensure continuity across the school and there has been a marked development of a range of leadership & management skills and capacities. Working with Portal and providing staff the opportunity to undertake the ILM programme has had a real positive impact on the whole school.
WHAT SERVICES DO PORTAL PROVIDE? We deliver Higher Apprenticeships in Leadership and Management, predominantly to schools but we also write resources for school learners.
ACT are extremely fortunate in that they have great individuals within their ever growing team.
WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT WORKING WITH ACT? ACT are extremely fortunate in that they have great individuals within their ever growing team. Matt Burnett, Rob Haines, Kath Wing, Mel Mills, Nathan Blackwell are key members of the team. They genuinely could not offer greater support and the relationship we have with them is absolutely vital.
TELL US MORE ABOUT THE WORK YOU DO WITH ACT We are sub-contractors to ACT and they support us in our Higher Apprenticeship delivery. ACT have been instrumental in the growth of the company, and their continued support and faith in our innovative delivery model has been of paramount importance to us. We thoroughly value our relationship and feel very privileged to be sub-contractors with ACT.
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book club
Last issue, our recommended read was ‘Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman’ by Yvon Chouinard. Thank you to everyone who got on board with the book club, ordered a copy and read the book. Below is some of the feedback we received:
“This book tells the story of how Yvon Chouinard, co-founder of the Patagonia clothing, went from sleeping on the side of the road and searching out the best climbing spots to reluctantly becoming a billionaire owner of one of the USA’s top 100 businesses to work for.
that it has, not by profit. He applies conscious, logical and compassionate thought to the process of running a business and shares his findings. His way of business has played a significant part in increasing the power that women hold in offices around the World.
Since watching ‘180 degrees south’, I have been an admirer of Yvon. His journey to Patagonia (in this documentary) was a large part of the inspiration for me going there to trek the mountains.
Whilst he sees it likely that the planet is going through a major extinction, he thinks that there is probably little he can do to stop it. However, he finds happiness in trying to do so. His mix of environmentalism and business is something that everyone can learn from.”
Consequently, I had high expectations of what this book might offer and wasn’t disappointed. He measures success of a company by the environmental and social impacts
SAM ROBSON-DAVIS
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Our next recommended read is... ‘The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Programme to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence and Happiness’ by Prof Steve Peters. The Chimp Paradox is an incredibly powerful mind management model that can help you become a happy, confident, healthier and more successful person. Prof Steve Peters explains the struggle that takes place within your mind and then shows how to apply this understanding to every area of your life so you can: •
Recognise how your mind is working
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Understand and manage your emotions and thoughts
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Manage yourself and become the person you would like to be
It will also help you to identify what is holding you back or preventing you from having a happier and more successful life. Books are free for the first 50 staff who request a copy (first come first served basis) and could count towards your CPD hours (subject to suitability). Request your copy by emailing bookclub@acttraining.org.uk
The Chimp Mind Management Model is based on scientific facts and principles, which have been simplified into a workable model for easy use. It will help you to develop yourself and give you the skills, for example, to remove anxiety, have confidence and choose your emotions. The book will do this by giving you an understanding of the way in which your mind works and how you can manage it.
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staff in the
spotlight... The most rewarding part of this job is seeing a learner achieve everything they set out to.
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This month we put the spotlight on Rhian Lecrass who joined ACT in May 2016. Rhian works as an Opportunities Advisor at our Bridgend centre. Tell us a little bit about your role, and what your average day looks like. I’m the Opportunities advisor for the Bridgend and Barry centres. My role is to recruit new learners into the centre, interview them and induct them on their first day. I also help find the learners placement opportunities with local employers and when they are at the end of their programme. Assisting them to find progression opportunities such as paid employment, apprenticeships or further learning. Every day is different in this job and I really enjoy working within a great team! What is the most rewarding part of your current role? The most rewarding part of this job is seeing a learner achieve everything they set out to. When they can’t wait to tell you that they have got their place in college or got the job you helped them apply for... it’s priceless! Where is the best place you have travelled to? I love travelling to America and I have visited many states so far. I’m trying to tick off as many as I can. Last year, I went to Paris for Christmas and that was amazing too!
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What was the last album you listened to? I love music, I always have it on in the car but I tend to listen to playlists or the radio instead of albums. I prefer variety! What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? No job is a bad job, it’s all character building! How do you like to spend your time when you’re not working? Most weekends I spend in Pembrokeshire. My family have a caravan there and it truly is my happy place! What would be your top tip for colleagues? My advice would be to be kind to one another and work together as a team. A big thank you to Rhian for taking the time to answer our questions this month. If you would like to feature in our Staff in the Spotlight section, or have a colleague you’d like to put forward, please e-mail Rachael Lewis.
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welsh corner/ cornel cymraeg CARU CYMRU 2019
RESULTS/RESULTS:
Eleni roedd y gystadleuaeth Caru Cymru yn well ac yn fwy nag erioed gyda mwy o wobrau gan gynnwys tabled Samsung i enillydd y gystadleuaeth gyfan. Am y tro cyntaf eleni cynhaliwyd arddangosfa a seremoni wobrwyo yng nghaffi OPH ble wnaeth Richard a Caroline gyflwyno’r gwobrau i’r enillwyr
Ffotograffiaeth / Photography
Cyfryngau Creadigol / Creative Media
1af S t Dwynwen’s cross - Lindsay Donovan Lacey (Portal)
1af H oliday club presentation - ACT Childcare, Learning and Development
Roedd enillwyr ym mhob categori ac enillwyd y tabled gan Sarah Hitchings o Llamau am ei stori hyfryd ddwyieithog i blant.
PROUD TO BE WELSH 2019 This year’s Proud to be Welsh competition was an even greater success, with even more prizes including trophies, gift cards, chocolate and a Samsung tablet for the overall winner. For the first time we held an exhibition of the entries and hosted an award ceremony in OPH café, where the winners were presented with their prizes. There were winners in all five categories and the overall prize was won by Sarah Hitchings from Llamau for her charming bilingual children’s book ‘Adventure to Cardiff Castle’.
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W elshcake recipe Melanie Mills (ACT - OPH)
3ydd B acklit daffodils Alison Phillips (ACT - OPH) Ysgrifennu Creadigol / Creative Writing 1af S hort story - Sarah Hitchings (Llamau) OVERALL WINNER
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D ragon with sea background Llamau Vale learner
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P ierhead Building montage - Llamau learner
Sgiliau Galwedigaethol / Vocational skills 1af W reath – (Llamau Cardiff learners)
2il Poem - Amber Leah Richards & Short story John Fuller (Llamau Bridgend) (JOINT)
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Cogydd ACT Chef
3ydd L arge Daffodil (Llamau Bridgend learner)
1af Q uiche - Kathryn Wing (ACT – OPH) 2il
W elshcakes Melanie Mills (ACT - OPH)
3ydd W elshcakes Jonathan Ridout (ACT – Aberdare)
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D ragon face paint – India Hull (ACT Hadfield Rd) & Small daffodils -Llamau Bridgend learner (JOINT)
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welcome to our newest recruits! 1
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Pip Barrett Essential Skills Tutor
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Richard Edwards Motor Vehicle Employability Tutor
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Lauren Jay Cross-Curricular Tutor
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Shirey Webley Learning Support Assistant
Kris Evans Health and Social Care Assessor - Cardiff
Kayleigh Phipps Additional Learning Support Worker
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Kathryn Baker Care Tutor
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Cerys Hale Numeracy Tutor
Paige Smith Health and Social Care Assessor - Cardiff
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Deborah Thomas Management Higher Apprenticeship Assessor
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Richard Allsopp Learning & Development Advisor
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Laura Cozens Health and Social Care Assessor - Cardiff
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Amanda McAndrew Management Assessor
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Leon Patnett Head of Youth Engagement & Training
FAREWELL TO‌ Marie Bullock - Additional Learning Support Worker
Chris Huxton - Construction Tutor
Kimberley Cannon - Additional Learning Support Worker
Kim Tysom - Health Care Support Services Assessor
Mellisah Mphoko - Clinical Health Assessor
Allan Catlin Haggett - Health and Social Care Assessor-Cardiff
Connor Thomas - Catering Assistant (Apprentice)
Peter Humber - Management Assessor
Mo Davies - Finance Assistant
Jonathan Bonds - Motor Vehicle Tutor/Assessor
Rhianydd France - HR Administrator
Lesley Evans - Health and Social Care Higher Apprenticeship Assessor
Lucy Wright - Exams Officer & Administrator
Terri Dabbs - Hairdressing and Beauty IQA
Deborah Baker - Health and Social Care Higher Apprenticeship Assessor/IQA
Jayne McGill-Harris - Senior Marketing and PR Manager
Martyn Hooper - ILM Management Trainer
Helen Rogers - Clinical Health Assessor- Powys
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insight 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 Rachael Lewis, Communications Officer rachaellewis@acttraining.org.uk Your ideas and input are always welcome!
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