meet our trainers!
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As a trusted training provider within construction, decarbonisation and utilities, we work with some of the most experienced trainers in the business.
Simply Learning ‘simply’ doesn’t work without our wonderful team! The lifeblood of any training organisation is the training team.
We have a core training team here at Simply Learning, supported by even more associates. All of our team are qualified and experienced professionals, chosen for their skills, knowledge and of course their fantastic training style!
We caught up with some of our trainers and associates to find out what makes them tick, both in and out of work!
How did you get into training?
I have over 30 years of experience in the fire service and over 20 years as an instructor. I started training people as part of my role as a Watch and Brigade Instructor and took up training as a full time career when I retired from the fire service 12 years ago.
What courses do you teach?
I am the main trainer for confined spaces, first aid, manual handling, fire awareness, ladders, safe working at height and abrasive wheels.
What are you most passionate about?
I am really passionate about engaging candidates and professionally presenting subject knowledge. It’s great passing on knowledge and critically- experience. That’s the benefit of training, practical applications of theory that really stick in someone’s mind!
“It’s great passing on knowledge and critical-experience. That’s the benefit of training, practical applications of theory that really stick in someone’s mind!”
How did you get into training?
I spent 34 years in the gas industry and I had a natural flair for training people. I really like to impart the knowledge that I have built up over the years- there is no substitute for time-served understanding.
What courses do you teach?
NRSWA (Street Works), Ground Support, Electrofusion, Buttfusion, Gas Permitry and Winch.
What are you most passionate about?
I really love helping people gain their qualification while giving them much more- confidence, knowledge, skills, community- the training experience is about so much more than just a qualification.
Simply Learning is an extremely friendly training centre. Candidates can relax. We facilitate a comfortable environment that allow people to learn and gain confidence. We give candidates much more than their accreditation.
What is your passion outside of work?
I’ve previously played rugby union for years and I’m still very active in my local club with admin tasks and youth coaching. I’m and avid cyclist (road cycling and gravel biking).
“I really love helping people gain their qualification while giving them much more- confidence, knowledge, skills, community- the training experience is about so much more than just a qualification.”
Tell us about the courses you teach?
I am a trainer for Street Works signing, guarding and excavation in highway training. I am also a teacher for CCNSG which is a general all-round health and safety passport scheme for the engineering industry. I also do a bit of confined space training and generalist courses like manual handling and fire awareness.
How did you get into training?
I started training in my previous role in telecoms, training engineers out in the field. After covid I got the opportunity to work from home training new Openreach apprentices in the classroom on the theory side of their training which took me down a more academic path.
What are you most passionate about?
I love meeting new people and passing on my knowledge. I love that I get to meet such a spectrum of different engineering and working backgrounds- so I am always learning. I have a genuine interest in what the candidates are doing for a living which helps expand my knowledge, I can gauge other points of view or see things from another perspective which leads to interesting discussions and debates! It’s the depth and breadth of roles and experiences that candidates have which make training so interesting for me- and for the people in the classroom. You never know who you are going to meet!
Simply learning is a great fit for me as I know that my colleagues are very like minded in our professionalism and outlook towards training. If we share the same goals and motivation, then I know I’m in the right place.
I know from experience that people don’t necessarily come skipping into a training course, especially if the content looks a little dry from the outside. However, it’s our job as trainers to make things as engaging as possible and help people to learn in a fun environment. People are always pleasantly surprised not only by the content delivery but the atmosphere we create- I’m proud of that.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Outside of work I coach Muay Thai kickboxing, which predates my career as a trainer, so I guess I was always destined to share knowledge and communicate a message to people. It’s a passion both professionally and personally.
I also go to a lot of gigs and music festivals, I’m generally somewhere in the campervan most weekends with the family. We spend as much time as possible on the reservoir at our local sailing club windsurfing, paddleboarding and kayaking and I’m a bit of a nerd for nature, post industrial archaeology and fossil hunting!
“People are always pleasantly surprised not only by the content delivery but the atmosphere we create- I’m proud of that.”
Tell us about the courses you teach?
I train teams on the New Roads & Street Works Act (NRSWA) (1999), CCNSG Safety Passport, Leading a Team Safely (LATS) as well as various courses related to telecommunications.
My area of expertise is the building of Fibre-optic networks, from the civils work required to get duct and cable in the ground, through cabling and splicing/jointing up to the testing and commissioning of the fibre terminals and end points. This has given me the grounding (excuse the unintended pun) to be able to teach the NRSWA with full confidence.
How did you end up in training?
I spent 25 years ‘on the tools’, so to speak, starting as an apprentice electrician on large construction sites across the U.K.
I had a career change at around 25 years old, becoming a telecoms copper cable jointer, transitioning to fibre-splicing as it started to supersede copper networks. I worked in many sectors of industry including railways, nuclear power stations, various construction projects and the telecoms field in which I spent most of my years.
I moved into supervision/management, becoming a quality and compliance officer for a large scale corporation. After a spell of this, I was offered the opportunity to move into the training department, which was the beginning of what I hope to be my final area of employment!
What is the best thing about the role?
Without a doubt, connecting with people of all types. I have found that, after family and children for example, the area most people love to talk about is their work. Being able to give people the knowledge and associated confidence that goes with learning is something very valuable to me and I’ll never tire of. Although it can be demanding at times, helping somebody achieve something they didn’t think possible is hugely rewarding.
I have made many friends along the way and have had some wonderful conversations and this makes my training role my favourite role to date. Without wanting to sound cheesy, I really feel that it is the job I should have always done!
What makes training with Simply Learning so special?
When I was teaching fibre courses, I was often dealing with people who had a high level of education, and many people know very little about the science behind it all, so it made for groups who were mostly very engaged.
With the NRSWA course, it is different. I am mostly dealing with people who have ‘on the job’ skills. Also, it is often a case that they need to pass the course in order to keep their jobs. This can often make for a group who are nervous and lower on confidence.
Being able to settle people down and engage them to the point that they can pass the many exams, giving them knowledge and confidence, is the best part of the job. I have had some candidates expressing huge gratitude for the help I have given them and that feels priceless.
What is your passion outside of work?
I am a musician (guitarist, mainly) and a lifelong cinephile…..I am happiest wandering around a museum or art gallery, if not watching some eclectic film.
I also love to read, mostly from the popular science genre and I keep abreast of things which relate to my work, both the political side, with respect to renewable energy, and the technological advancements relating to fibre networks (Xbox/Netflix/iPlayer etc. are all made possible through fibre optic development, for example).
I am a keen NUFC supporter and this led me to be a volunteer for the NUFC food bank which has become my new passion. I am hoping I can do more than them in terms of distribution, and I’m exploring the possibility of offering volunteer training for them, maybe offering free football coaching sessions for disadvantaged families etc.
“Being able to settle people down and engage them to the point that they can pass the many exams, giving them knowledge and confidence, is the best part of the job. I have had some candidates expressing huge gratitude for the help I have given them and that feels priceless.”
