Functional Skills Special Interest Group

Roger Francis (Chair)

Business Development Director

Creative Learning Partners

Roger Francis is Business Development Director. Previously, he was Director of Services and HR for Mindleaders for 9 years, reporting through to the CEO and playing a key role on the global Executive Management Team. In that role, he has made major contributions to the development and implement of strategies which enabled MindLeaders to become the No.2 global eLearning company (behind Skillsoft).

Whilst his main focus during the last 5 years has been on the development of the Learning Services business, he has also led the teams responsible for implementing MindLeaders solutions and providing post-implementation customer service. As HR Director, he played a pivotal role in the development of the unique MindLeaders culture by focusing on Talent Development and Employee Engagement strategies and embedding the company values throughout the business.

Prior to joining MindLeaders, Roger was a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology at Sunderland University and spent 12 years in senior management roles at Whitbread, largely in Operations but latterly as a divisional Strategy and Marketing Director.

Sue Southwood
Programme Manager for Professional Standards and Workforce Development
The Education & Training Foundation

Sue started her career as a community literacy teacher in Norwich. She spent 10 years in the workplace where she set up and managed basic skills units at Ford Motor Company and then Transport for London where she started GCSE maths and English classes for employees (delivered around complex shift patterns!). After 9 years leading on basic skills for NIACE, Sue has recently joined the Education and Training Foundation as Programme Manager leading on English, Maths and SEND.

Jonathan Wells
Managing Director
For Skills

Jonathan Wells is the Founder of Guroo Ltd, an e-learning company that specialises in post-16 maths and English. Guroo has recently become part of For Skills Ltd, Jonathan has joined the For Skills team as Marketing Director, responsible for promoting the combined solutions including SkillsBuild and SkillsPortfolio of both For Skills and Guroo to the post-16 market.

He has a first degree in Maths and is an Ofsted External Expert in Assessment. Jonathan has published many Functional Skills related learning resources and papers and is best known for writing the “Functional Skills Newsletter” which is distributed free to more than 10,000 every two weeks.

Kevin Mulhall
Regional Advisor and Content Writer
bksb

More details to follow shortly.

Ian Pursglove
Associate Director - Standards for Literacy and Numeracy Qualifications
Ofqual

Ian is Ofqual’s Associate Director for Standards for Literacy & Numeracy Qualifications, with responsibility for leading and delivering Ofqual’s strategic outcomes for functional skills and a range of vocational qualifications. Ian joined Ofqual in 2014. Prior to joining Ofqual, Ian worked in the Department for Education and its agencies for fifteen years including roles in finance, further education, governance, and Learner Support.

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.

Awarding Organisations

Natalie Jenkins
Sector Manager
OCR

More details to follow shortly.