Offender Related Services Forum SIG | Tuesday, 17 November 2015

Richard Ward
Statutory Entitlements, ACL, LLDD and Offender Learning Team
BIS

Richard Ward leads the team that deals with offender skills and employment policy at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. His work involves significant cross-Government activity, working closely with the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Work and Pensions, as well as with the Skills Funding Agency and the National Offender Management Service. Richard was closely involved in the 2010 offender learning review and in the production of the strategy document that followed, Making Prisons Work: Skills for Rehabilitation [May 2011]. Although operational implementation of the strategy is largely a matter for the SFA and NOMS, he maintains a close engagement in operational matters. Richard's responsibilities have recently expanded to include LLDD policy and the skills agenda for other disadvantaged learner groups where there are, of course, a number of helpful synergies.

Rod Clark
Chief Executive
Prisoners' Education Trust

Rod Clark joined Prisoners Education Trust in February 2013. He came from an extensive career in social policy in the Civil Service. Much of his early career was in the field of Social Security including work on policy, strategy, planning, operational management and a spell as Principal Private Secretary to the Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP as Secretary of State for Social Security. He was on the Board of the Department for Constitutional Affairs as Director General Strategy when the National Offender Management Service merged to create the Ministry of Justice. He was also Chief Executive of the Civil Service’s internal training organisation, the National School of Government. Rod is pleased to have been invited to join the expert panel for Dame Sally Coates review of prison education commissioned by the Justice Secretary.

Deborah Peat
Acting Assistant Director Widening Access and Success Services
Open University

Having got a BSc in Biochemistry from Sheffield and a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from UCL I spent some time teaching at the University of Edinburgh before starting work in Student Services with the Open University (OU) in Edinburgh. I then moved down to work for 3 years as an Educational Adviser with the OU in the Oxford Regional Centre. From there I moved to our central offices in Milton Keynes to manage a series of strategic Institutional change projects within Student Services before becoming the a Senior Manager for Residential Schools in October 2013 – one of the teams with in the unit of Widening Access and Success Services (WASS). In March 2014 I then took over the additional responsibility for the Auxiliary Aids and Services Team – another of the teams within WASS and finally since the 1^st October 2015 I have been Acting Assistant Director Widening Access and Success Services. I am thus responsible for services to particular groups of students; notably students with disabilities, Carers and Offender Learners including providing curriculum in accessible alternative formals, lending specialist assistive equipment and supporting disabled students at residential schools and tutorials.

	Dal Veysey *APM* More details to follow shortly.

	Helen Schofield *Justice Sector Training* More details to follow shortly.

	Christina Stone *Pearson* More details to follow shortly.

Brian Creese
NRDC Research & Development Officer
UCL Institute of Education, University College London

Brian has spent a varied career spanning education and media. A physics graduate he was a Junior and Middle school teacher before joining the world of media. Before joining IOE Brian worked with the DfES Standards Unit, producing Improving Learning in Mathematics and the Engineering and FLT teaching resources for QIA's National Teaching and Learning Change Programme. Since joining NRDC he has worked on both research and development projects and taken on a Faculty director role. Projects include the Armed Forces Longitudinal Study, major projects for the Skills for Life Improvement Programme and work for BIS on employer views of literacy and numeracy needs for the workforce. Other recent work includes leading a study of Alternative Provision in Newham, and a major report for the Royal Society into Mathematics and Science teaching. Brian contributes to teaching on the Post Compulsory Mathematics diploma and contributes many articles for a variety of publications and is a regular IOE 'blogger'.

	Sam Windett *ERSA* More details to follow shortly.

Kevin Moore FIEP
Project Lead: Integrated Employment and Skills
Association of Employment and Learning Providers

Kevin has been working in employment and skills for almost 20 years. A success story for the sector, Kevin’s journey began as a client, when he was referred onto an IT course through the Training for Work scheme in 1995. Since then, he has helped build a small London provider by 1,000%, run the London region for a prime contractor and, for the last 7 years, run his own small business, Future Path.

Kevin is equally comfortable in both the employment and skills sectors. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Employability Professionals, as well as a qualified trainer, assessor and IQA. He has been involved in the bidding for, and running, of all major provision in the last 19 years, most recently being involved in developing a skills department for a Work Programme prime, and assisting with the bidding and supply chain assembly for the MoJ “Transforming Rehabilitation” exercise.

A former engineering apprentice, police officer and publican, Kevin is well known within the sectors for his imposing size and enthusiastic delivery style. When not working for AELP, Kevin helps run Future Path, including the delivery of employment support for North London residents with common mental health issues.