Traineeships – Starting Successfully

	Michael Gray - Event Chair Consultant, Michael Gray Associates Limited Since 1996 Michael has led consultancy, training, research and delivery projects for a range of organisations, including general and specialist FE colleges, land-based and sixth form colleges, work-based learning (both profit and non-profit organisations), the voluntary sector, adult and community learning, local authorities, offender learning and employer-providers. He works at all levels in organisations, from board to junior employee. Projects and assignments have also included training and organisational development for a major US IT company. His approach is to work with clients, taking account of their resources, context and problems, leaving them with the capability to solve problems and ‘do it for themselves’.
	Brontë Turner Funding Policy Implementation Manager, Skills Funding Agency Brontë has 10 years’ experience in the education and skills sector, through local delivery and national policy roles within the LSC and SFA. This included four and a half years within the National Apprenticeship Service in employer engagement and business development. In her current role as Funding Policy Implementation Manager, Brontë works within the SFA team which ‘turns policy into practice’, by implementing nationally agreed policy into funding systems to enable delivery by providers. Brontë currently leads on the traineeships policy area, sitting on the cross-departmental traineeships project group to advise on the development of traineeships policy, and working with internal teams (e.g. budget and allocations, funding rate and calculation teams, funding rules teams and the ILR change team), to implement policy once it has been agreed.

	Jo Walker EFA Centre Manager, North Yorkshire, YH Training Jo started with YH Training in 2006 as a trainee trainer having previously studied and developed vocational proficiency in medical science, embalming and retail management. Over the years, with the support of the organisation Jo developed expertise in different elements of government funded training and in 2012 welcomed the opportunity to become an EFA manager, responsible for Study Programme provision, Military Preparation Courses and more recently our Traineeship model. Jo managed several centres and staff teams across Yorkshire and Humberside and line manage sub-centres and sub-contractors where traineeships are in their infancy. Whilst day to day work is contract management, leading successful teams and ensuring a quality service is provided to our students and employers, Jo frequently return to my roots and deliver sessions to our learners, succeeding in gaining an Ofsted Grade 1 for observation of teaching and learning at our most recent inspection. Seeing our learners develop and progress is the most rewarding aspect of the job and knowing that there is an investment in staff too shows the commitment to training across all ages. Jo is proud to be a part of the EFA team at YH Training Services Ltd and thrilled to be able to share our experiences with other providers.
	Mandy Slaney City & Guilds Having worked for several years in work-based learning, both in an FE college and for Connexions, Mandy spent nearly eight years at City & Guilds supporting key colleges and training providers such as Newcastle College and YMCA. After working as a Senior Business Development Manager for FE Associates she has recently returned to City & Guilds. As part of the Customer Planning team she is responsible for helping to make sure City & Guilds products and services are fit for purpose and meet customer needs.