Insight Issue 13

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ISSUE 13 | NOVEMBER 2019

including...

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The Wellbeing Hub at OPH is now open Take time out and recharge.

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Celebrating Success

Staff in the spotlight

This month we celebrate the results from our ACT Apprenticeship Awards 2019, as well as the latest round of the Staff Recognition Awards.

This month we have put the spotlight on Jodie Smith, CafĂŠ Supervisor at OPH.

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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 - MPCT

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Welsh Corner

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Staff in the spotlight

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Meet the Jones'

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Book Club

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Welcome to our new recruits

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welcome It’s been a busy couple of months for ACT, full of celebrations and success, with our internal Apprenticeship Awards and the latest round of the Staff Recognition Awards. A huge congratulations to all our staff and learners who were acknowledged for all the wonderful things they’re doing. Keep up the brilliant work.

We also opened the doors of the Wellbeing Hub on Floor 2 of OPH. If you haven’t had a chance to yet, make sure you pop in. It’s a great space to take 5 minutes and reset.

2019 has been a great year for ACT and 2020 looks to be even better. Thank you as always for all your hard work and I wish you all a fantastic break over the Christmas period.

key dates 20th

20th-3rd

Dec

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FRIDAY 20TH DECEMBER

FRIDAY 20TH DECEMBER–FRIDAY 3RD JANUARY

Christmas party

Christmas shutdown

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important things you need to know...

CONTRACT UPDATE

NEW WELLBEING HUB NOW OPEN

As you may recall, we were expecting to hear the outcome of our Job Support Wales tender in October. Instead, we received this update from the Welsh Government:

We are excited to announce that the Wellbeing Hub is now open!

Located on Floor 2 of OPH, the hub is where our Care Support and Guidance Team are based and offers a variety of services including Counselling and 1-to-1 pods for staff catch ups.

If you or your learners ever need some time out, or a cup of tea and chat, the hub is a great place to relax and seek support.

‘Please note that we intend to inform bidders of the outcome of the tender once evaluations have been completed. This is expected to be December, and not October as incorrectly identified in the Invitation to Tender document’.

We have some exciting plans for staff and learner wellbeing moving forward, so keep your eyes peeled. Wellbeing Hubs will be rolled out across all centres in 2020.

As soon as we hear any more news, we will of course let you know.

Did you know?

Our Christmas Vouchers are due to arrive on the following dates: 27th November 2019 19th December 2019

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getting to know‌

senior management

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Who are you and what’s your role?

Bethan Maund - Senior Apprenticeships Manager What are you responsible for?

Management and delivery of ACT's Apprenticeship Programmes. We deliver Apprenticeships in over 20 sectors to employed status learners.

My proudest moments within this role have been to watch the team grow, thrive and succeed.

What are your plans for the future of ACT? Within Apprenticeships we are working towards ACT’s long term strategic plans in the following ways: Quality: We have begun to identify and share exceptional and innovative practice that motivates and stretches practitioners and learners to exceed their expectations.

We have also been adapting the support our IQA team

provide and have launched our own Practitioner Academy, to better support the needs of our learners by providing individualised coaching. As well as launching our Apprenticeship Delivery Guide, we will also be continuing to embed ACT's coaching and mentoring culture across the routes.

Efficiency: We will continue to implement ACT's digital strategy throughout our OneFile usage by improving our digital teaching methods. Embedding these processes will ensure our working practices become as efficient as possible.

Growth: We are continuing to develop our Apprenticeship delivery in line with the Welsh Government priorities; focusing on retaining employers and encouraging learners to progress through their framework levels. We will also continue to develop our Welsh Medium/Bilingual delivery and in line with the Regional Skills Priorities, our strategic sector areas for growth will be: Digital and IT; Health Public Services and Care; Education and Development.

Happiness & Engagement: We will continue to recognise and celebrate staff achievements through award nominations, skills competitions, team events, case studies and promoting success across our staff TVs.

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What’s the biggest challenge your team faces?

Our biggest challenge will be to continue to grow at the ongoing rate whilst maintaining and improving our quality of delivery and efficient practices.

We are in the infancy stage with some of the systems and plans within Apprenticeships and will be working hard to embed these plans, whilst continuing to grow the provision and its successes.

What is your proudest moment at ACT? My proudest moments within this role have been to watch the team grow, thrive and succeed.

An example of this was during our recent ESTYN inspection.

I was proud to see our staff pulling together and the whole provision working as one.

Everyone had a buzz to succeed and worked hard to show the inspection team the amazing things we do with our learners and the impact we have on their lives and our employers.

Tell us something we wouldn’t know about you?

I am a very private person, so here goes! During my teens and early twenties, I was a competitive swimmer and won quite a few regional medals.

I am also a keen music lover and will often attend heavy metal and rock gigs.

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events FIRST MINISTER VISITS OPH TO LAUNCH WELSH LABOUR ELECTION CAMPAIGN

PURPLE TUESDAY – REMPLOY On 12th November, the Wellbeing Hub at OPH, held an event supporting Purple Tuesday, a national campaign to 'make disabled customers lives better'. Members of our CSG team, along with current apprentices shared information with participants from Remploy about Apprenticeship opportunities. Remploy has a confidential, nocharge service for any employees with mental health issues affecting their work.

On 6th November, First Minister, Mark Drakeford, along with various AMs, guests and media visited our OPH centre for the launch of the Welsh Labour election campaign.

The First Minister held a Q&A in the café with our Traineeship learners, with footage of his visit aired across a number of news channels including BBC and ITV.

SKILLS CYMRU On 9th -10th October ACT attended the annual Skills Cymru exhibition at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff. Skills Cymru’s careers, jobs and skills events are the largest of their kind in Wales, attracting up to 10,000 people each year. It’s a big event in our calendar, so well done to everyone who made it the great success it was.

ACT APPRENTICESHIP AWARDS 2019 On 30th October we hosted our annual Apprenticeship Awards to celebrate the successes and achievements of exceptional learners and employers who have shown outstanding commitment, passion and drive. All our winners on the night worked incredibly hard to develop their skills and make a real difference to their organisation.

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We were delighted to be joined by our Skills Ambassador and rugby legend, Jonathan Davies OBE, who presented the winners with their awards following a welcome speech by ACT’s Managing Director Richard Spear and a congratulations video with messages for the winners. We were also treated on the night to some fantastic performances from the Llamau Choir!

Business Services – Devishri Parmar, British Heart Foundation Care – Brandon Lee-Jones Hairdressing/Barbering/Beauty Natalia Shwartz, Vibe Hair Salon Hospitality & Catering – Jamal Barrett, Radisson Blu IT – Jarrad Chandler

All the winners have gone above and beyond in their qualification and it was fantastic to have the opportunity to recognise their hard work. A huge round of applause and congratulations to the following winners:

Engagement – Jason Kilford-Keen ACT Schools Adam Boyle

Apprenticeships

Employers

Business Services – Harri Shuffley, Career Change Wales

Cartref

Childcare/Playwork/CYP – Lauren Williams, Little Song Birds

Mazuma Money

Innovate Trust

Cleaning & Environmental Services – Lisa Bytheway, Pen-Y-Bont Care

Special Recognition Our special recognition award went to a very special individual: Adam Boyle. Adam has shown perseverance and determination beyond all expectation in completing his qualifications.

Education and Development Amelia Pine, Cardiff Muslim School Finance – Chillie Squance, Accounted For Ltd

Kelly Rowlands, Senior Schools Manager, who nominated Adam for the award, said: “When Adam arrived at ACT Schools Cardiff he was unsettled and reluctant to engage. But with the support of the delivery team and his family, began to make real progress in his education. On GCSE results day, we were delighted to find that Adam had achieved our best learner results to date, achieving B, C, D in Maths, Maths Numeracy and English Language respectively. These, alongside the vocational qualifications he also achieved, resulted in Adam leaving our Schools programme with an impressive 8 GCSEs or equivalent. A huge well done to Adam!”

Hairdressing/Barbering/Beauty – Adele Fullick, The Pamper Lounge Health & Social Care – Natalie Griffiths, Silvercrest Healthcare/Clinical Health – Paula Harris, Cwm Taf University Health Board IT/Digital Marketing/Social Media/Marketing Louise Bawtree, Miss Patisserie Management/Team Leading – Jennifer Pugh, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board Traineeships Animal Care – Bethany Fry, Reptile Cymru

A big thank you to everyone involved in our award ceremony, especially our winners and everyone who voted too! Watch this space for 2020!

Automotive - Megan Nedrud, National Tyres

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celebrating success CARDIFF HALF MARATHON A huge congratulations to staff from our Hadfield Road site, who successfully raised £1918.52 running the Cardiff Half Marathon for Teenage Cancer trust. A massive round of applause to you all on your fantastic result!

SUCCESS FOR REMPLOY & WELSH GOVERNMENTS' INCLUSIVE APPRENTICESHIP CAMPAIGN Our Care, Support and Guidance Team have been working on a pilot project with Remploy to support the Welsh Governments Inclusive Apprenticeship Campaign. One of our employers, JCP Solicitors, has supported this initiative by altering their standard interview process to accommodate a work trial for Remploy participant Kris Ratcliffe. These changes provided Kris with the opportunity to demonstrate his skills as part of the new interview process. JCP were so impressed with Kris, they offered him an

Apprenticeship opportunity which he started earlier this month. A huge congratulations to Kris – this is a fantastic result!

CHILDREN IN NEED On Friday 15th November our OPH Traineeship learners successfully raised £135.88 for Children in Need. Activities on the day also included a bake sale, lucky dip and a costume party. Well done to everyone who took part.

ABERDARE HALLOWEEN PARTY In celebration of Halloween, our Aberdare learners enjoyed a fun packed day full of activities including: a Halloween quiz and a bat dropping competition where learners wore drunk goggles and had to fish coco pops from one bowl to another (using a spoon in their mouths).

There was also pumpkin carving and a zombie bride competition.

Business Services learner Cloe Smith secured first place for her pumpkin carving effort, while Dewi Hayton, a Phase 2

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Childcare learner was the proud winner of the zombie bride competition.

HUGH JAMES TRAINEESHIP LEARNER SUCCESS We are delighted to report on the positive career progression of two OPH Engagement learners, Talia Clarke and Nicole Davies. During their time with ACT, both learners overcame many barriers to learning, to secure seven qualifications between themselves. Following on from a successful placement with the solicitors, Hugh James, Talia and Nicole made such a positive impression that they were both offered permanent positions at the company, as well as an Apprenticeship opportunity. This is an incredible result for Talia and Nicole, the OPH Traineeships team and our employer, Hugh James. A huge well done everybody!

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COACHING ACADEMY On 21st October, our latest coaching cohort group gave a presentation to our Directors and Dave Tee (Director of the Wales Coaching Centre) based on an ILM approved programme they have been on for the last 18 months. The programme called ‘Embedding Coaching within our Culture’, has seen our senior management implementing a coaching approach into staff one-to-ones and PJRs, as well as adopting and embedding more of a coaching approach within their teams. The presentations were a culmination of their learning and actions throughout the programme. Congratulations to the following cohort: Lewis Bowden, Katy Wolar, Charlotte Dando, Rebecca Cooper, Matthew Burnett, Melanie Mills, Kate Haines, Bethan Maund, Claire Mirbelle, Kelly Rowlands, Helen Hallam Commenting on the latest cohorts, Chris Hughes, Management Development Specialist said, ‘Our qualified team of coaches have worked so hard to achieve this qualification. They are now ready

to use their skills to support staff in achieving their goals and maintaining high levels of performance.

Coaching produces such positive outcomes I would encourage all teams to take advantage of this great resource’ A round of applause also goes to Adelle Taylor, Engagement Delivery Manager, who joins our growing team of coaches, having qualified as a Level 5 coach. Llongyfarchiadau Adelle!

ACT now boast seven Level 5 qualified coaches, with 3 more staff close to achieving this status imminently. These fully qualified coaches are a fantastic resource to consider if managers feel members of their team would benefit from coaching. It’s a training intervention, which can be applied at any time but is a particularly useful resource following 1-to-1’s and performance management meetings.

Applications for coaching will open in December, with sessions starting in January. Bookings can be made through Cascade Go.

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Staff recognition awards We are delighted to announce the winners of our November Staff Recognition Awards – the third quarter round of 2019.

A huge ACT-style congratulations goes out to the following employees/teams who have shown a tremendous commitment to their role, achieved excellent results and have gone the extra mile for our learners and stakeholders:

SCHOOLS STAFF MEMBER OF THE QUARTER Winner: Louise Newland 2nd place: Hayley Byfield 3rd place: Lisa Bailey

MANAGER OF THE QUARTER TEAM OF THE QUARTER

Winner: Ann Rees 2nd place: Ros Smith 3rd place: Hollie Keepings

Winner: Health & Social Care 2nd place: P&D 3rd place: CCLD

Nominated: Amy Allen-Thomas, Tracey Spiller, Gemma Thain, Rosalyn Lovatt

Nominated: Management Apprenticeship, Purchasing & Facilities, Hairdressing, Barbering & Beauty, Education & Development

CORE VALUES OF THE QUARTER Winner: Donna Wainscott 2nd place: Louisa Mallett 3rd place: Michelle Marshall

NEWCOMER OF THE QUARTER Winner: Tia Ahmed 2nd place: Sophie Cole 3rd place: Laura Cozens

Nominated: Tim Middleton, Becky Yearsley

Nominated: Paige Smith, Holly Murray, Lauren Gunning, Jessica Caramella, Rhian Collom

APPRENTICESHIP PRACTITIONER OF THE QUARTER Winner: Natalie Evans 2nd place: Pip Barrett 3rd place: Jos Watkins

DELIVERY TEAM SUPPORT OF THE QUARTER Winner: Lynnemari Gagiano-Davis 2nd place: Alison Stone 3rd place: Nicola Tiley

Nominated: Jane Vaughan, Angelina Hummel, Richard Hatherall, Wendy Phillips, Lucy Duggan, Jennifer Jones, Corrina Bengough, Lara Baldwin, Rebecca Rees, Emma Jones

Nominated: Janet Welch, Ros Smith

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These awards have been judged independently by the Staff Council, based on the quality of the written nominations.

TRAINEESHIP/MTS PRACTITIONER OF THE QUARTER Winner: Isabella Giamei 2nd place: Paul Castle 3rd place: Katie Allen

Certificates and vouchers will be making their way to the winners and runners up shortly. We look forward to welcoming the winners above to the ACT Staff Recognition Award Ceremony in December, where they will join winners from our March and July awards to become finalists in their category. The overall winner of each category will be announced at our staff Christmas party on the 20th December.

Nominated: Natalie Evans, Julie Davila, Martina Chapman, Melanie Lloyd

OPERATIONAL SUPPORT STAFF MEMBER OF THE QUARTER Winner: Rhian Coslett 2nd place: Hayley Byfield 3rd place: Rhodri Lord

JUST A REMINDER: For the nomination process, please can you ensure that you are putting staff/ teams forward for the correct categories.

Nominated: Sara Petherick, Gabrielle Forde, Matthew Lewis, Ros Smith, Sam Kirkby, Rachel Hall, Rosie Herdman, Anna Cooper, Non Wilshaw, Rhian Lecrass, Michael Turner

The Beauty Room

Keep your eyes peeled for some fantastic Christmas deals and offers coming soon to the Beauty Room‌ The Beauty Room at OPH offers discounted treatments with a qualified therapist, as well as seeking models to participate in treatments with learners for a minimal fee.

All treatments will be supervised by a trained beautician.

If you have any queries please contact catherineoats@acttraining.org.uk All treatments will be available on a first come, first served basis.

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Introducing our partner... MPCT At ACT we are proud to work in partnership with a strong network of committed, enthusiastic and passionate work-based learning providers, who share our values and strive to achieve excellence through collaboration. Every issue we interview a different partner to shine a light on the work they do... This time we spoke to MPCT.

The charity has raised over £400,000 and also supports ex-students too. One of these is Dan Sheenan who had been blown up in Afghanistan and MPCT helped fund him to join the Paralympic ski team.

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT IS YOUR ROLE?

Every year we have a number of patrons who sign up and nominate voluntary people to support the organisation. To thank the patrons we take over the Tower of London for a special dinner. One of our ex-students, Mark Devow, came back as an alumni to share his story at the dinner. 18 years ago he turned up at MPCT homeless. He had been offered a flat by an organised criminal gang to store their drugs, but he turned that down and instead, broke into my office every night to sleep on my couch. He did this for 13 weeks, completed the course and went into the Army and has done extremely well. He ended up in the Special Forces and has been promoted repeatedly. He made contact with us to let us know how well he’s done and the fantastic future he has built for himself.

TELL US ABOUT A LEARNER/ INDIVIDUAL WHO MPCT HAVE HELPED?

I’m Huw Lewis, the Founder and Managing Director of The Motivational Preparation College for Training (MPCT).

WHAT SERVICES DO MPCT PROVIDE? We focus on the Traineeship programme in Wales by delivering award winning training for 16-19 year olds who have aspirations for careers in sport or the military. We’re ACT’s oldest partner and we have 7 centres across Wales, and a further 25 centres across England. Although the programmes are delivered through sports and the military it’s all about young people achieving their potential no matter what career it is they want to go into. The unique element of our disciplinary learning style is our learners have 2.5 hours of fitness everyday, followed by academic studies. MPCT are the only organisation to have a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Defence (MOD). It means the armed forces support us and we are on a preferred provider list. Since we started, we’ve supported 3000 young people into the military and another 20,000 into positive progressions. We’ve also set up a charity called the Motivation of Learning Trust which supports students who are in crisis.

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT WORKING WITH ACT? We’ve always had a great working relationship with ACT and shared best practice. It’s a flow of information between both companies which we have both benefitted from over the years. ACT have some great people working there and our values are very strongly aligned. ACT want the very best for their young people and we want exactly the same, which makes our conversations very simple and straightforward.

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welsh corner/ cornel cymraeg PRENTIS-IAITH

CYMRAEG GWAITH/WORK WELSH

Mae Prentis-iaith nawr yn rhan o fframwaith pob dysgwr Prentisiaeth ar OneFile. Gall dysgwyr ddewis o 5 cwrs: Cyffredinol, Adeiladwaith, Amaethyddiaeth, Gofal plant ac Iechyd a Gofal.

Mae’r cwrs yma wedi dylunio yn benodol ar gyfer dysgwyr B3 a chaiff ei gyflwyno i’n dysgwyr Hyfforddeiaeth cyn bo hir.

Mae’r cyrsiau yma: Croeso Cymraeg Gwaith, Cymraeg Gwaith Croeso ‘Nôl yn ogystal â’r cyrsiau llwybr penodol ar gael ar Cascade Go ar gyfer staff a OneFile ar gyfer ein dysgwyr. Maent yn gyrsiau digidol 10 awr sy’n ffocysu ar Gymraeg ar gyfer y gweithle. Maent yn berffaith ar gyfer dysgwyr - lle da i ddechrau eu taith iaith.

All our new Apprenticeship learners now have Prentis-iaith on their OneFile framework.

Learners can choose from 5 courses: General, Construction, Agriculture, Childcare and Health and Social care. This course is specifically designed for learners to evidence B3 and will be rolled out to Traineeship learners soon.

This suite of language courses: Work Welsh Welcome, Work Welsh Welcome Back and industry specific Work Welsh courses are all available on Cascade Go for staff or OneFile for learners. They are all 10-hour digital courses focussed on Welsh that you can use in the workplace. They are perfect for beginners and great as a refresher. It’s a good place to start a language journey.

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INTENSIVE WELSH COURSES/ CWRSIAU DWYS CYMRAEG Mae’r Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol yn rhedeg dau gwrs dwys ym mis Chwefror. Byddant yn cael eu cynnal yn yr hyfryd Nant Gwrtheyrn ac mae eu natur trochi yn golygu y gwnewch gynnydd arbennig!

The Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol have two intensive courses running in February. They are held in the beautiful setting of Nant Gwrtheyrn and the immersive nature means you’ll get great progress!

APP Y MIS - DUOLINGO

RHIFYN ARBENNIG HYFFORDDIANT IAITH GYMRAEG/WELSH LANGUAGE TRAINING SPECIAL Da iawn mawr i bawb sydd wedi cwblhau'r Gwiriwr Lefel. Gan fod hwn nawr wedi cwblhau, bydd ACT yn gweithio gyda’r Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol i drefnu rhaglen o hyfforddiant.

Yn y cyfamser, dyma beth sydd ar gael ar gyfer staff a dysgwyr.

A big da iawn to everyone who has completed the Welsh Level Checker. As this is now complete, ACT will be working with the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol to put in place a programme of bespoke training. In the meantime, here is what is available for staff and learners.

Mae wedi bod yn ap y mis o’r blaen ond mae hwn yn ap bach pwerus. Dysgwch Gymraeg mewn 5 munud y diwrnod gyda gwersi sydd fel gemau.

We’ve posted this before, but this little app packs a big language learning punch. Learn Welsh in just 5 minutes a day with game-like lessons.

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staff in the

spotlight...

This month we put the spotlight on Jodie Smith who joined ACT in June 2015. Jodie works as a CafĂŠ Supervisor at our OPH centre.

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Tell us a little bit about your role, and what your average day looks like.

I run the OPH café and make sure everything ticks over properly. We train the learners working in the café in Customer Service and Catering skills, and I also do barista training to ensure that everyone gets a good flat white!

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?

Without a shadow of a doubt, window-cleaning!

I used to clean floor to ceiling huge buildings.

I had to climb up these tall ladders holding the long poles to clean the windows. I absolutely hated it. Saying that though I guess I don’t really see any job as being a bad job because at the end of the day it pays the bills.

What is the most rewarding part of your current role?

Watching the learners’ progression is absolutely the best bit for me. Seeing someone come in who’s really shy and watching as they change and become more confident is what I really enjoy about my job.

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself…

I lived in Hawaii when I was 16 years old. I didn’t know what I wanted to do after my GCSE’s so I was a working nanny for my aunt over there.

I was supposed to just be doing a gap year but ended up staying for 5 years. I worked in Golds Gym - a really famous American gym - and even got to meet ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter’. I also used to surf a lot when I lived over there too.

Where is the best place you have travelled to?

Hawaii without a doubt. Nothing else beats that!

Hawaiians are just super friendly and Americans generally are so positive. Living there really brought me out of my shell. I’d love to visit Australia though.

I do kick-boxing and I play a lot of sports too. Through the summer I play baseball and netball and I’ve just joined a softball team too.

How do you like to spend your time when you’re not working?

I really like to work out in the gym. I do kickboxing and I play a lot of sports too. Through the summer I play baseball and netball and I’ve just joined a softball team too. I enjoy shopping now and again and I love hanging out with my friends and family too.

What would be your top tip for colleagues?

Be nice. Just remember sometimes people are going through things and they may not show it but you being nice can have a huge positive impact.

What was the last album you listened to?

That’s a difficult question. Does anyone even listen to albums anymore? I like a bit of everything to be honest. It’s usually a case of what I hear on the radio but I really like Ed Sheeran.

A big thank you to Jodie 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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Meet the Jones’

Staff Happiness and Engagement is really important to ACT! So important in fact, that it’s one of our key strategic aims.

With the doors of the Wellbeing hub now open, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get to know our fully qualified, in-house counsellors Cate Harding-Jones and Debra Jones.

WHO WE ARE…

WHO THE SERVICES ARE FOR?

Debra: I’ve been at ACT for just over a year now but I’ve been counselling for over 10 years. I’ve had a varied career working in South Wales police; with looked after children; people with intellectual and/or physical disabilities and people returning to the workplace after long-term sickness and unemployment. I was previously an IQA Assessor too.

Debra: The counselling services are available for anyone to access – from staff through to Traineeship and Apprenticeship learners.

Cate: I’ve been a counsellor for about 6 years and have worked with young people and children for over 12 years in various youth worker roles.

Cate: The more people know about us the more referrals we get, which has come about through building relationships.

As we’ve built trust and rapport with staff and learners alike, there is a clearer understanding of what our services entail.

HOW DO I ACCESS THE COUNSELLING SERVICES? Debra: Self-referrals can be made by contacting

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counselling@acttraining.org. uk. The referral will then be triaged and the staff member signposted to the most appropriate internal or external support service. It’s completely confidential, so nobody needs to know that you’ve accessed the service.

There’s a referral process for learners and all the forms can be found on the intranet or SharePoint.

We’ve also got the Access to Work service (through Remploy), which is aimed at Apprenticeship users, and staff can use the 24 hour helpline through ACT Healthcare Scheme.

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WHERE CAN I FIND YOU?

IS IT SAFE TO SHARE?

WHAT NEXT?

Cate: The Wellbeing Hub is based on floor 2 of OPH, and is a great place for staff and learners alike to invest in their mental and physical wellbeing.

It is really important people understand we also have a presence in all the centres too. We travel regularly to see everyone, to ensure everyone’s needs are facilitated.

Cate: We understand for some staff it may be a little awkward or occasionally feel conflicting chatting to Debra or myself, then having to sit with us in meetings with their peers. We also offer access to external, independent counsellors, which ACT pays for.

Cate: There’ll be further developments around wellbeing and improving resources for staff. We’re not just going to be offering 1 to 1 counselling services, we’ll also be diversifying and helping to support and facilitate group workshops on mindfulness and anxiety. We want to promote an active, not reactive approach to wellbeing, which will help a lot of people at the same time.

Debra: For those individuals who are particularly private, access points to the Wellbeing Hub can be discreet, so no one needs to know you’re visiting us specifically.

HOW MANY SESSIONS ARE AVAILABLE? Cate: All staff are eligible for up to 6 sessions of counselling each year, usually with a counsellor external to ACT, to avoid any conflicts of interest.

Deb and I are also available for support, depending on the staff member’s preference.

Debra: You’re not obliged to use your 6 sessions either. You may find just a chat or one session helps you to put things into perspective. You can use the services in whatever way you need to.

Debra: To anyone who wants someone to talk to, no matter the topic, just get in touch with us. Confidentiality is assured, we try to be flexible and will always accommodate people’s needs as best as we can.

WHAT’S ACT’S APPROACH TO WELLBEING? Cate: With the Wellbeing Hub, ACT are offering a wider, more inclusive and holistic approach to wellbeing. It’s not just that you come and see us if you’ve got a mental health problem, it’s much deeper than that.

There’s a whole wider network of people and teams wanting to improve and build on all aspects of wellbeing.

Debra: The Wellbeing Hub is multi-purpose. People can come to relax, meditate, or take a 5-10 minute break from everything. It’s not just focussed on the Counselling service.

FINAL THOUGHTS… Debra: In my personal experience, it’s very rare to find a company of this size offering the services that we do with fully qualified counsellors.

We’re all there to support in the Wellbeing Hub, so if anyone has any questions they can either pop in and chat to us, or send an email. Somebody is always on hand to help!

Cate: Your mental health should be treated exactly the same as your physical health.

If you’ve got a bit of a concern you go and see a GP. Wellbeing and Counselling is exactly the same. Just come and chat to us.

Any staff member wishing to access the counselling services should initially email counselling@acttraining.org.uk There’s a referral process for both staff and learners. Further guidance and referral forms can be found on the intranet or SharePoint.

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book club

Last issue, our recommended read was 'Educated’ by Tara Westover. 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:

Some questions may have been raised regarding the choice of a memoir for a book club that is essentially designed to help develop our soft skills through reading. Having read Westover’s “Educated” I am inclined to say it is a great choice.

As we are an educational institution delivering training to learners from a variety of different cultural and social backgrounds, this read can help us gain a better understanding towards those who may struggle with making these academic decisions.

Dipping into a culture so distant from the one we grew up in can make us realise that we take our access to education and freedom to choose our own career path for granted. For others it might be a difficult path of discovery and choosing loyalties.

Tara’s writing style is gripping and despite this not being an “easy” read, it definitely is a very interesting one.

MARTA WYROSTEK

Our next recommended read is...

Our next recommended read is – “How to Fail’ by Elizabeth Day. Uplifting, inspiring and rich in stories from Elizabeth’s own life, How to Fail reveals that failure is not what defines us; rather it is how we respond to it that shapes us as individuals. Because learning how to fail is actually learning how to succeed better. And everyone needs a bit of that. Part memoir, part manifesto, and including chapters on dating, work, sport, babies, families, anger and friendship, it is based on the simple premise that understanding why we fail ultimately makes us stronger.

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 by Friday 6th December.

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welcome to our newest recruits!

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Claire Baker - Opportunities Advisor

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Andy Edwards - Employability Tutor

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Simon Barrett - Digital Implementation Officer

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Isa Ibrahim - Employability Tutor

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Christine Blower - Attendance & Wellbeing Officer

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Sara Jenkins - Telesales Executive

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Dominique Deacon - Numeracy Tutor

FAREWELL TO‌ Ben Gifford - Learning Support Assistant

Andrew Parton - Business Services Tutor

Rachel Healion - Management Higher Apprenticeship Assessor

Neil Watkins - Management Higher Apprenticeship Assessor

Donna Moss - STLS Assessor

Sarah Daw - Marketing Officer

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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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