SPG Newsletter Issue 3

ThePeople 

The Team Newsletter of Autumn / Winter 2019 

Building 

Futures 

Sheffield Skills 

Academy opens 

its doors 

Delivery Team in Focus • HR Updates • Fundraising

Pre-Employment 

Building Futures in Sheffield: 

Sheffield Skills Academy 

opens its doors. 

Skills People Group’s latest 

venture, the Sheffield Skills 

Academy, opened its doors in 

August after a comprehensive 

scheme of expansions and 

refurbishment. 

The Sheffield Skills Academy 

is a construction-focused 

training centre that has been 

set up to support people 

aged 19+ from the Sheffield 

area back into the labour 

market, giving them both the 

knowledge and practical skills 

to progress into a career in the 

construction industry. 

Situated in the Attercliffe area 

of the city, the academy boasts 

three large workshops that 

cover bricklaying, plastering, 

painting & decorating and 

joinery along with an outdoor 

block paving area, training 

rooms, an IT suite and a 

student canteen. 

In August we welcomed our 

first enrolment of learners, all 

eager to get their hands dirty 

and start developing new skills 

and new careers. 

After completing a 3-week 

Introduction to Construction 

course, successful learners 

will have the opportunity to 

progress to a 7-week Level 1 

multi-trade diploma course to 

further enhance their skills. 

Building 1 houses Reception and Workshop 1 which specialises in painting and decorating. 

Head of Academies, Steve 

Cressey said at the time: 

“This is a very exciting time for 

the group. The new Sheffield 

training centre is the first of a 

number of academies we have 

planned around the country. 

Our aim is to support people 

from all walks of life who are 

not currently working to gain 

valuable knowledge, skills 

and behaviours to enable 

Expert advice is always on hand for students 

One of the classrooms where students are given help to complete forms and written work. 

ThePeople: Team Newsletter of the Skills People Group Autumn / Winter 2019


them to move into what is 

a very vibrant and exciting 

career option in construction. 

We look forward to working 

with stakeholders who work 

with those furthest from the 

job market to create new 

opportunities.” 

Academy Manager, 

Nadine Fowler added: 

“This is an innovative academy. 

As a team we aim to give 

the people of Sheffield who 

are not currently in work the 

skills and confidence to begin 

building their own futures.” 

Construction Tutor John Rose teaching a bricklaying class 

A learner gets to grips with wallpapering 

The academy boasts an 

impressive pass rate of over 

95% and since opening in 

August, many courses have 

been over-subscribed. 

A significant number of 

learners have secured full-time 

employment as a direct result 

of passing their course and 

achieving their CSCS card. 

Plans are already at an 

advanced stage for 3 more 

Skills Academies in cities 

across the UK in 2020. 

Lee Barraclough had been 

out of work since 2007. He 

turned up to the enrolment 

of our Introduction to 

Construction course feeling 

very anxious because of his 

severe dyslexia. 

“This is the first course I have 

ever completed. I’ve always 

been told I can’t do anything 

because I can’t read and write. 

I have been sent away from 

every course but at enrolment I 

explained how nervous I was but 

because of how friendly the staff 

are I decided to give it a try. 

I really enjoyed block paving 

and bricklaying – I didn’t 

think I could do physical 

work because I have back 

problems but I built a wall 

all by myself. 

I enjoyed getting into a routine 

and being somewhere every day 

– the whole team couldn’t do 

enough for me. The first time I 

practiced the mock CSCS test I 

scored 5/50 but with everyone’s 

help I sat my CSCS test yesterday 

and I passed with 90%. When 

I returned to the academy 

everyone cheered for me. 

I really can’t thank you enough 

– you’ve done what no-one else 

could – and I start work as a 

labourer in 2 weeks.” 

The Sheffield Skills Academy was formally opened by the Lord Mayor of Sheffield in November 

Lee Barraclough 


Construction 

Meet the Deliverers! 

The delivery team consists of full-time 

IQAs and over 60 assessors who deliver 

qualifications from level 2 to level 7 across 

all trades within construction across the 

length and breadth of the UK. 

The learners are profiled and then appear 

for allocation and are then allocated to 

assessors depending on trade and location 

and current caseload sizes. 

The portfolios are then created and sent 

out to the assessors who then contact the 

learners and arrange to carry out site visits 

to establish competency through a range of 

assessment methods. 

The completed portfolios are sent to the 

office to be Internally Quality Assured. The 

IQA quality checks the portfolio by making 

sure that all the required standards have 

been met within the portfolio 

and cross referenced to the 

evidence in the portfolio. 

Once all quality checks have 

been done, the portfolio is 

processed by admin which then 

releases the learner’s certificate 

and allows them to apply for 

their CSCS card. 

Andy Perry 

Group Lead 

IQA Manager 

I started in the 

construction and civil 

engineering industry in 1986, starting my 

career working in a quarry then leading 

into major road construction projects, 

in 2001 start my own construction plant 

hire company. 

In 2007 I qualified as a Construction 

Assessor, in 2015 I gained my Internal 

Quality Assurance award and in 2018 

I became the Lead IQA for the Skills 

People Group. My interests include 

spectating motorsports, decorating 

and spending all my money on my four 

children of which of course is a pleasure. 

My main job role is to is to ensure the 

adequate provision of resources and 

support the IQAs within their quality 

assurance role to ensure the decisions 

of the assessors meet the requirements 

of the awarding organisations and the 

national occupational standards. I also 

support the delivery team as a whole 

including sales and the enrolment 

officers as and when required with any 

questions or queries they may have 

regarding the suitability of awards for 

learners and the client. I host awarding 

organisation external quality assurance 

(EQA) visits, deal with and resolve any 

issues or concerns that may arise from 

such visits and feedback to the IQAs 

with the report from such visits. 

I am always looking to improve the 

delivery of awards, check that all 

delivery resources of awards are fit 

for purpose and meet the required 

standards of awarding organisations. 

Stuart Brown 

Construction NVQ Delivery 

Manager 

I manage the team of 

IQAs who each manage a 

number of assessors. I do the allocations 

of learners to assessors and manage 

their caseloads. 

I am responsible for the target number 

of completions each month and 

represent the delivery team at the 

SMT meeting every Monday. I am also 

involved with gaining progress updates 

for all live learners on a weekly basis. 

I am a big football fan and support 

the Stags (Mansfield Town FC). I am 

heavily involved with charity events and 

have undertook 2 walking overnight 

full marathons in the last 12 months in 

London, the one in May was in a pink 

bra and tutu. I also work with different 

schemes for the homeless. 

Dom Fletcher 

Group Centre Manager 

I provide support during 

External Quality Assurance 

visits with a multitude of 

awarding organisations, working closely 

with primary awarding organisations to 

build a healthy working rapport. 

I ensure the centre has appropriate 

and qualified staff in place for all 

programmes we deliver, monitoring and 

keeping track of essential records to 

maintain qualification approval status. 

I collate portfolios for delivery, 

following requirements set by awarding 

organisations and occupational 

standards, reviewing and altering 

portfolios when updates are released. 

I support the IQA team and ensuring 

processes and procedures are followed 

and adhered to, 

There’s always something that needs 

doing, but I always like a challenge I 

can get my teeth into! I like to think I’m 

always willing to help others when and 

where possible. 

Shelly Donnelly 

IQA Manager 

The role of the IQA 

is to make informed 

judgements regarding 

the practice of the assessment team to 

maintain the standards of the awarding 

body. We also have to ensure our 

delivery is meeting the requirements 

of Ofsted. We support our delivery 

team by going out completing OTLAs 

(observations if teaching, learning and 

assessment). As we deliver nationally 

we travel all around the country from 

Workington down to Bristol, Liverpool 

over to Hull. We work closely with our 

assessment team and give support and 

guidance on how they can develop. We 

work closely with awarding bodies to 

ensure we maintain direct claims and 

develop as a business to improve. 

I work closely with the Sales Director 

looking to design and implement 

bespoke programmes to offer different 

delivery models to suit learner needs to 

gain employment. 

We also have to deal with complaints 

and concerns. As we work with 

probation on occasion we have to put 

controlled measures in place to ensure 

equal opportunity to all of our learners. 

We work to funder cut off dates 

ensuring all completions go through 

the IQA process where we check and 

sample the quality of the portfolios. 

Every day is different and has its own 

challenges as well as successes. 

Stephanie Inns 

IQA Manager 

I have recently started 

working for the company, 

employed as an IQA 

Manager for construction qualifications. 

I developed my interest in the 

construction industry at an early age, 

my dad had a small building company 

and was building a house for the us all to 

live in. After finishing art college, I went 

to work for my dad full time, we worked 

on a variety of different jobs, large and 

small and went on to build another 

family home, which I was involved in 

from the start. 

I later set up a business as a self-employed 

decorator, which I did for about eight 

years. More recently I was employed as a 

Lead IQA for a company based in Harrow, 

Middlesex. I worked for several years as an 

Operational Manager for a large housing 

provider and some of my other roles have 

included teaching in a prison and working 

for a homeless charity. 

I live in North-West Norfolk, having 

moved there three years ago from 

Suffolk. I am very close to the coast and 

my hobbies include gardening, which 

takes up a lot of my spare time. I am 

obsessed with buying plants and like 

to visit different nurseries and garden 

centres. Last year I dug a large pond 

in my garden and try to do as much as 

possible to attract wildlife. I love visiting 

some of the beautiful coastal locations 

close to my home, and spending time 

with family and friends. 


So far, I have found my new role to be 

interesting, at times demanding and a 

bit frustrating, although, fortunately, I 

am part of great team and have been 

made to feel very welcome by everyone 

I have met with. 

Neil Russell 

IQA Manager 

I have been in the 

construction industry since 

leaving school in 1980. 

I started my career as self-employed 

apprentice working with a carpenter, 

mainly working in house renovation 

where I picked up many additional skills, 

such as plastering, fenestration and 

ground works. After a short period I 

found myself supervising, then managing 

small works. 

In 1987 I left construction to become a 

warehouseman for JH Leeks, and worked 

my way up to managing their group 

distribution centre. 

In 1997 I came back to construction, 

managing small works for a local 

company covering a vast range of trades. 

In 2001 I sat my D32/33 and 34 award, 

later taking A1 and V1. I have worked 

for both private training companies and 

colleges as trainer/teacher/assessor. 

My interests are photography, golf, rugby, 

playing the guitar and Health & Safety. 

Simon Smith 

IQA Manager 

I have been in the 

construction industry 

since I left school in 1993. 

My main industry sectors are 

Fenestration, Surveying and Site 

Management. I’m also a qualified wall 

and floor tiler. I’ve been involved in 

teaching, training and NVQs for over 

17 years, over this time I’ve gained the 

Assessor’s award, IQA award and 

EQA award. 

My personal interests are football, (Stoke 

City), cricket and golf, I have been all over 

the world to watch England play cricket 

including Australia, the Caribbean, Sri 

Lanka and South Africa. 

I’ve been married for 13 years and have 

two lovely pet humans; Vincent and Maria. 


Learner feedback makes 

it all worthwhile... 

We are very proud of the 

positive difference that our 

pre-employment courses 

can make to learner’s lives. 

Here are just a few... 

“The course was good, I have learnt 

a lot about the construction industry. 

This is the line of work that I wanted 

to go into. The knowledge I have 

gained on the course has given me 

confidence to apply for work and it 

will help me in the interviews. As soon 

as I have received my CSCS card I will 

apply for work. The tutor was great 

on the course and helped if needed.” 

Ricky Smith 

BTEC Certificate in Construction 

“I really enjoyed the course. During 

the course we had to go into groups, 

I played the part of team leader, 

this helped improve me confidence 

massively. There a good mix of young 

and old in the group, we all helped 

each other. Completing the course 

gave me the push to apply for work. 

I am now working in Childcare and 

feel the course has helped me gain 

employment as it has shown me I 

can do things didn’t think I could do. 

I would definitely recommend this 

course to others it was fantastic.” 

Helen Montgomery 

Certificate in Personal Development 

“The course was informative and 

helped improve my skills. I’m hopeful 

it will help me find employment in 

the health and social care sector 

as this is the industry I’d like to go 

into. The course gave me a good 

understanding of the industry and 

it will be very helpful to me in the 

future. The tutor was very helpful, 

they covered all the basics of health 

and social care. They answered all 

the questions I had, giving good 

explanations.” 

Mohamed Yusuf 

Certificate in Adult Social Care 

“I’ve really enjoyed doing this course. 

A brilliant tutor making everything 

that I learnt very easy to understand 

and fun to learn.” 

Lisa Phillips-Turner 

Certificate In Business Administration 

“The tutor was very helpful when 

parts were not understood. Took 

the time to listen to any problems 

and help solve them. Learnt loads of 

information whilst here - 10/10.” 

Robert Miller 

Certificate In Business Administration 

“The course covered all the tasks 

that I expected. Both tutors have 

been of great help and assistance 

where needed.” 

Bryan Hendricks 

BTEC Certificate in Construction 

“The course went very well. The 

tutor was encouraging, friendly and 

helpful. The tutor would explain 

the course content so everyone 

could understand and adapted his 

teaching style to suit everyone’s 

needs. I am now employed but 

not in the construction industry, 

although I have the CSCS card to 

fall back on if I ever need it. The 

course has given me the confidence 

to go back into work.” 

Lewis Smith 


“The course was very well run, in a 

very inclusive manner and engaging. 

I found the Digital Skills part more 

useful. I thought learning about the 

business modules was a good idea.” 

Julie Weston 


“Brilliant course, I was really looking 

forward to doing the course as it is 

the line of work I would like to go into. 

The classroom was friendly with a 

pleasant atmosphere. The tutor was 

very helpful and I have learnt new 

things for example communication 

skills, diversity in the workplace 

and health and safety at work. I’m 

currently looking into a voluntary 

work placement to gain the relevant 

experience for employment. I strongly 

believe this course has prepared me 

well for a job in the care industry. 

Lamin Sawaneh 

Certificate in Adult Social Care 


Construction 

Belper Town 

Construction Skills People are 

proud sponsors of Belper Town, 

a football club steeped in 

history that was founded way 

back in 1883. 

Grant commented: 

“It’s been fantastic for the club 

and for the town. What more can 

you ask for? It was probably the 

best draw we could have got. 

We’re buzzing as a group and 

|it’s a fantastic achievement 

for the club.” 

Funding John Connolly 

Chief Executive 

The Governors of the RNN 

College approved a £250,000 

increase to the AEB contract 

that CSP hold with them, this 

will be used to fund unemployed 

learners throughout the Sheffield 

City Region and the D2N2 LEP 

areas. This is in part due to 

performance in 2018/19 where 

we had an achievement rate of 

98.52% and the accuracy of the 

documentation submitted to 

the College. 

The club are currently 4th in the 

Northern Premier League Division 

One East and play at Christchurch 

Meadow. 

Managed by Grant Black, Belper 

Town progressed to the 4th 

round of the 2019 Emirates FA 

Cup. Their 2-1 home win over 

Rushall Olympic was rewarded 

with an away fixture at Notts 

County which they lost 2-1. 

The club has also enjoyed 

success in the FA Vase, reaching 

the 5th Round twice and also a 

semi-final appearance in which 

they lost 2-3 on aggregate to 

Oxford City, having won the first 

leg 1-0 at home, in front of nearly 

2,000 spectators. 

CSP secured a contract with 

Serco to deliver workplace skills 

development activities using 

ESF SSW funding in the Greater 

Birmingham Solihull LEP area, the 

value of the contract is £500,000. 

Matt’s on Fire! 

CSP Sales Team Leader Matthew Herbert recently 

received the following glowing testimonial: 

“I have just received my Level 2 Associated Industrial Services 

(Passive Fire Protection) certificate and just wanted to say thanks for 

how easy and painless it was going through your company, which has 

been especially helpful with how busy we have been on site this year.” 

Richie Ellis 

Fire Door Inspection Solutions, Mansfield 

Leeds College of Building have 

awarded a £90,000 contract 

to C&G Assessments to deliver 

AEB funded programmes to the 

unemployed in the Yorkshire and 

Humber areas. 

DTS have increased the value 

of the ESF SSW contracts in 

The Marches LEP by £164,000. 

New OFSTED Education Inspection Framework 

In September OFSTED launched 

a new Education Inspection 

Framework with a video: 

https://www.youtube.com/ 

watch?v=byaUliCMi9E 

This shows how we will be 

assessed next time and why it 

is so imperative that we have 

intentional programmes that have 

a real impact on our learners. 


HR 

Welcome to the Team! 

The following members of the Skills People Group 

team have joined us in recent months. 

Nadine Fowler 

Skills Academy Manager 

“I have been working in the 

training industry for over 

10 years. In my spare time 

I love to go travelling; my most 

recent expedition I’ve spent 

camping in Canada.” 

Glyn Brumby 

Construction Tutor 

“I’ve been teaching for 14 years 

and have a strong construction 

background. I’m spending my 

spare time renovating a grade 2 

listed building and restoring 

a classic van.” 

Leane Beanes 

Qualifications Administrator 

“In my spare time I enjoy 

going to the gym and 

spending time with my 

family and friends. I also 

really enjoy cooking, baking 

and developing new recipes.” 

Stephanie Inns 

Internal Quality Assurer 

“I live in North Norfolk and my 

hobbies include gardening and 

visiting some of the beautiful 

coastal locations close to my 

home. I enjoy spending time 

with my family and friends.” 

Refer a friend and 

we’ll give you £250! 

If you refer someone for a role with 

us and they successfully complete 

their probation we’ll give you £250! 

Catherine Dye 


“I have over 25 years of 

experience as a Construction 

Tutor. In my spare time I enjoy 

riding my motorbike and looking 

after my allotments. I am also 

a scout leader assistant.” 

John Rose 


“I have joined Skills People 

Group as a Construction Tutor 

at Sheffield Skills Academy. 

In my spare time I like to go 

wild camping and canoeing. 

My other hobby is fly fishing 

around Derbyshire.” 

Michael Richardson 

Delivery Contracts Manager 

“In my spare time I enjoy 

spending time with family and 

friends as well as going to 

football, often watching Notts 

County. I also enjoy cricket, 

rugby and horse racing.” 

Shaun Devine 


“I have been teaching for over 

10 years and have a strong 

construction background. 

In my spare time, I enjoy 

holidays in my motorhome 

with family and my dogs.” 

Lewis Barnett 

Training Advisor 

“Hi, I’m Lewis and I have joined 

as a Training Advisor. In my 

spare time I find myself making 

sure my house is clean and tidy, 

sightseeing and socialising.” 


Charity 

Steve’s a welly 

good mover! 

Head of Academies, Steve 

Cressey owns a caravan on the 

east coast at Reighton Sands, 

where the Events Coordinator 

runs many owner events and the 

end-of-season gala event was a 

Strictly Come Dancing Special. 

Five owners; two male and 

three female were joined by 

professional dancers and carried 

out a Strictly Come Dancing 

routine. All of this was in aid 

of the local Filey RNLI lifeboat 

station. Steve decided that as 

it was for the RNLI, he would 

do his dance in so’westers 

and wellies! Steve and Chloe, 

his dance partner, danced to 

Singing in the Rain, which was 

quite apt! As a jetski owner 

Steve is always comforted by 

the knowledge that there are 

the lifeboat men and women at 

hand should we ever be in peril. 

He was delighted therefore to 

raise £200 in family and friends’ 

donations which was matched 

by the Skills People Group to 

make a grand total of £400, this 

equated to a third of the total 

that was raised by everyone on 

the night. 

Muddy Hell! 

On Saturday 19th October Skills 

People Group entered a team in 

the Leeds round of the ‘Muddy Dog 

Challenge’ in support of Battersea, 

the national animal charity. 

Held in the grounds of Harewood 

House, the event is a 2.5km or 

5km obstacle run that entrants can 

tackle either on their own or with 

their dog(s). 

The Skills People Group team: 

Richard Carrington & Buddy 

Stuart Anderson & Boris 

Steve Cressey & Tosey 

Saul Asquith & Denzel 

Charlie Mellor & Alfie 

Emma Stanyard & Finley 

Battersea aim to never turn 

away a dog or cat in need of 

help, caring for them until their 

owners or loving new homes can 

be found, no matter how long it 

takes. They are champions for, and 

supporters of, vulnerable dogs 

and cats, determined to create 

lasting changes for animals in our 

society. Since the first moment 

they welcomed a stray dog in 1860, 

Battersea have helped to re-home 

over 3 million animals. 

Well done to the SPG team and 

a big thank you to all who have 

supported this worthy cause. 

The team have so far raised almost 

£1000 and Skills People Group will 

also match the final amount raised. 

To date the event has raised a total 

of over £70,000 for the charity. 

For those in peril on the sea...Steve & Chloe 

The SPG Team: Stuart and Boris, Steve and Tosey, Richard and Buddy, Charlie and Alfie, 

Emma and Finley, Saul and Denzel.

SPG Newsletter Issue 3

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