Meet the Kent and Medway Careers Hub Team
I am a professional youth worker, coach and supervisor, a teacher of lifelong learning and trainer with 20 years’ experience of working with young people at risk of becoming NEET. I have led teams throughout London and Kent to provide excellent outcomes for young people and have worked with care leavers, unaccompanied asylum seekers and young people in the youth offending system, to develop mindsets and skills aimed at identifying pathways to a brighter future.
I believe that everyone has the skills within them to be the best versions of themselves and try to role model my own expectations in the people I work with.
I am incredibly proud to be the Strategic Careers Hub lead and am looking forward to seeing the Careers Hub grow and develop over time.
Working in Education sector since 2009, across both primary and secondary settings in the Medway area of Kent.
Supporting young people to succeed in life beyond education is something I am passionate about. Working with careers leaders and the wider school community to ensure every avenue and pathway is explored with our young people is key to their success.
Having spent the last three years bringing a variety of business’ in to talk to young people from the age of 4 to 18 years has been a rewarding part of my own career. As an Enterprise Co-ordinator across Kent, I am keen to continue this and open many more doors of opportunity to our young people.
Since April 2022 I have been fortunate to take on the role of Operational Hub Lead, my focus being as line manager for the hub’s Enterprise Coordinators along with continuing to support all educational settings that are in the hub. Ensuring every young person in Kent and Medway reaches their best next step.
I have spent over 20 years working for an international bank across a range of finance, strategy and risk roles in the UK and Middle East, and on returning to the UK took a change in career direction (just to show it’s never too late) into coaching within the education sector.
My role in the Kent and Medway Careers Hub is to support schools and colleges to provide exceptional careers guidance and advice by connecting Young People, Careers Leaders and Educators with local businesses and employers who can share their skills, experiences and insights about the world of work and training.
The employment landscape continues to change rapidly in terms of where we work, how we work and why we work. I want to make sure that young people are able to navigate this landscape in a confident, informed and aspirational way – which is what the Careers Hub allows me to do!
I have worked in the Education Sector since 2012, Level 7 qualified in Careers Management since 2016. I have created, facilitated and delivered careers activities and Careers Advice to students across a diverse sector, supporting schools, colleges, PRU’s and secure education settings to deliver extensive CEIAG.
I have a strong belief that young people that are encouraged to understand their own unique set of skills, qualities and interests and to continually reflect on these to support self-discovery and aspirations, will provide a diverse and sustainable workforce for our future. I am therefore passionate about providing all young people with the tools, support and guidance during their schooling years to enable them to fulfil their potential.
The majority of my career has been spent working with the vulnerable cohort within education, both in mainstream secondary education and as part of the Youth Justice and prison estate. I strongly believe in inspiring all young people to develop their future aspirations.
Passionate about motivating, encouraging ownership, independent choice, and improving life chances, I understand the importance of careers education. Early exposure to careers programmes and industry information has proven to motivate and inspire young people, and allow them to develop their knowledge, understanding and skill set in preparation for the world of work.
With commitment and passion, I will be supporting Careers Leaders and Enterprise Advisers in Kent to ensure the best possible outcomes for their young people.
I have worked in the education sector for over 6 years in both a strategic and operational capacity. Before becoming an Enterprise Coordinator I spent 5 years as a level 5 qualified coach working for a national charity supporting young people to overcome the barriers preventing them from successfully progressing from education into employment. Prior to this I practised as a qualified Social Worker within the youth offending service before becoming a Senior Early Help worker with a caseload of young people and families.
I am passionate about making a difference in the lives of young people in Kent by equipping those within schools, further education and communities with the necessary tools to ensure young people experience innovative and progressive careers education and are therefore empowered to make their best next step.
I have been working in the education sector since 2007 in various roles. I have worked as a Careers Leader delivering careers advice and activities to students from many different schools, as well as working with pupils with SEND. I have a real passion for supporting schools to help young people realise their potential and be able to access all the wonderful opportunities that are available to them. I particularly enjoy working with students who have SEND or who have not attended school for periods of time, to understand that they too can be successful.
Completing the level 7 Career Management postgraduate diploma was a real highlight of my career as I didn't go to university as a young person, or have many GCSEs.
I love my job and I love working in a fantastic team, seeing the difference I can make to young people’s lives gives me a real buzz.
Having been a Youth Coach and Schools Adviser for the Department of Work and Pensions, I am passionate about young people being supported to raise their aspirations, fulfil their full potential and to be happy and successful in life. Since leaving school I have journeyed through a career in dancing, performing and teaching which has taken me around the world, finally completing a BA Hons Degree in Professional Practice, Arts and the Creative Industries as a mature student. This journey as taught me that no matter what path you are on, with the right skills, motivation and perseverance any future is possible.
Being an Enterprise Coordinator enables me to support the delivery of Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance in schools and colleges across West Kent, ensuring young people reach their best next steps.
Having previously managed teams in restaurants and retail ‘up north’ in Yorkshire, I found myself embarking on a new adventure in the lovely county of Kent and deciding to take a new pathway into working in education. From 2017 I worked in one of the largest mainstream secondary schools in their Safeguarding, Pastoral, and Careers departments, providing me with a wealth of experience in supporting vulnerable students and those with little direction in their next steps. This then led to some time working in national employer engagement and educational project work for an EdTech charity, building relationships with both schools and employers to support talent pipelines and opportunities for young people.
My passion for working in careers stems from the lack of guidance available to me when I was at school and the drive to support others in being happy and successful in their careers. I have found that in doing this work I have found happiness in my own career and am keen to make a difference in my role as Enterprise Coordinator to work alongside school careers teams to support their delivery of careers education and bring opportunities and employer engagement to the forefront of the school curriculum. I have a great drive to make sure all pathways are inclusive and that employers have diversity and equality as a focus in their recruitment strategies.
Having previously worked in a college as part of the Business Development team, I got a taste for working with young people and helping them seamlessly transition into their next steps. I loved how rewarding the role was and wanted to use my knowledge and skills learnt to help support more schools and colleges with their careers education. When I think back to when I was at school, this kind of support and guidance wasn’t available which I why I am so passionate about this job. This role allows me to ensure students across the North Kent are receiving the best careers education possible allowing them to feel confident when taking their next steps.
This role allows me to engage with many Careers Leaders across the North Kent which helps further develop my own knowledge and skills to pass onto others. I love that this role not only supports students but also supports Careers Leaders, SLT members, parents/carers and many more. I hope to continue to develop these relationships and help students find their best next steps.
Having been an English teacher in secondary schools for four years, I decided to try a new challenge. I’ve worked as a project manager for a national charity and now as an Enterprise Coordinator for schools in Medway as part of the Kent and Medway Careers Hub. I love working with school staff in a new capacity – being able to support careers leaders and teachers to embed skills, careers and employability as part of their wider curriculum.
I think it’s really important to be able to equip young people with the skills, knowledge and confidence to apply themselves to their future of choice. I really enjoy using my knowledge of teaching and learning, school systems and structures to support schools to embed careers into different subjects and across the wider ethos of the school. I especially love sharing best practice across different schools to showcase the great work and exciting ideas happening in schools across the region.
I have worked for a main high street bank for over 25 years, supporting SMEs as a Relationship Manager before embarking on a career change. My role in the bank enabled me to gain a greater understanding of the challenges that businesses face, particularly when recruiting staff. I found it fascinating to hear business owners’ career journeys and the barriers that they had overcome… raising glass ceilings and entrepreneurial mindsets!
I am particularly passionate about supporting young people with SEND and disadvantaged young people.
In my role at the Kent and Medway Careers Hub I support Careers Leaders across Medway to deliver an exciting and engaging careers curriculum, encouraging every young person to find their next best step. The world of work is an ever-changing landscape and it is vital that every young person is ready to take the next step.