Speakers

	Stephen Bagley Head of Relationship Team Skills Funding Agency Stephen is the Head of the Relationship Team for West London and he is responsible for managing the work of the Skills Funding Agency in the West London boroughs of Hillingdon, Harrow, Hammersmith, Brent, Ealing and Stanmore. From 2001-2010 Stephen held a number of roles in the Learning and Skills Council, including Partnership Director for Westminster, Head of Quality & Performance & Head of Work Based Learning for London Central LSC. From 1995 to 2001 Stephen was with the Central London Training and Enterprise Council which became FOCUS TEC. Earlier in his career Stephen worked with independent training providers: Grand Met Trust, where he worked to support homeless clients address housing and employment needs; and Wandsworth Training Services where he ran employment projects for Jobcentre clients. He also has experience of working for some years in a Jobcentre while he was with the Employment Service

	John Hyde Managing Director Hit Training AELP Chair John has 27 years’ experience in Work Based Learning (WBL) for the hospitality industry. Previously he owned a small restaurant and catering chain in Brighton after a career in further education both in the UK and Africa. In 1998 John founded Hospitality Plus which he grew in eight years to become the 4th largest WBL training company in the country before selling to the Babcock Group. John was instrumental in founding G10, a trade association for the 10 largest training providers in the UK. G10 successful negotiated the role of the private training provider with the new Learning and Skills Council that replaced the Training and Enterprise Councils in 2001 and later evolved into ALP, the current WBL trade association. Recognising the potential to up-skill the hospitality industry with the new Train to Gain programme in 2006, John returned to the sector to found HIT (Hospitality Industry Training), with several of his colleagues from Hospitality Plus. Today it has grown to be the largest provider of Hospitality Apprenticeships in England with a stunning 85% success rate. HIT is 87% owned by its own staff and directors. John was educated at Kings Norton Grammar School, Birmingham, the University of Birmingham and holds an honorary fellowship from the Institute of Hospitality. John is a director of AELP (Association of Employment and Learning Providers) and represents AELP at several government and trade groups, including BIS’s FE Reform Board and the LSIS Council

	Stella Turner Head of Qualifications and Delivery Association of Employment and Learning Providers Stella is responsible for keeping a ‘watching brief’ on matters related to qualifications and curriculum development. She represents AELP on groups such as the Skills Funding Agency’s Qualifications Approvals and Governance Group and the BIS Vocational Qualifications Forum plus various Awarding Organisation Consultative Committees. Since joining AELP Stella has managed a number of projects, including work related to the Qualification Credit Framework (QCF) Readiness Programme, Functional Skills Support, Unit Delivery Trials, the review of FE Teaching and Training Qualifications and the promotion of Higher Level Skills. More recently she has taken on responsibility for overseeing and managing work allocations within AELP’s delivery team. Stella has always worked in the education and training sector and has over 10 years experience of working for a work based learning provider. As a Senior Training Manager for a large training provider in Bristol, she was responsible for a team of ten, overseeing and contributing to the design and delivery of a range of both government funded and commercial programmes including IT courses, Apprenticeships and NVQs in a variety of occupational areas. Prior to joining AELP Stella worked for the Awarding Body OCR as a Customer Support Manager. This role involved working with local authorities, schools, colleges and training providers providing information and guidance on qualifications and government reforms.