Mike Rayner Email & Phone Number

Maidstone, Kent

I lead the development of suitable high-quality post 16 education provision for Kent. Identifying gaps, planning, monitoring and evaluating strategies to improve progression and destinations for young people across the county.Strategically influencing post 16 providers and employers to ensure that the range and volume of offers meets the needs of both employers and young people such that:• Employers are working collaboratively to develop a comprehensive offer, including apprenticeships. The number of employers engaging with Kent and Medway Guilds increases and provides opportunities for young people• The skill requirements of employers in each area improves the training and skills offer. • The work of the Careers and enterprise Company is effective in bridging the gap between education providers and employers.Supporting the running of Kent's review of 16-19 education.Leading the Economic Wellbeing theme of KCC's Reconnect, the Covid recovery programme for young people from Kent County Council.

County Hall, Maidstone

This role is focused on securing successful post 16 progression for all learners. The main areas of work are driving the partnership arrangements for reducing numbers of young people becoming NEET (not in employment, education or training) and developing innovative solutions to enable successful post 16 progression for vulnerable learners. Duties:•Co-ordinating activity, staff and data across multiple KCC departments, voluntary and community organisations, schools, colleges and training providers. •Working with a range of education providers and support services to fill gaps in local provision for vulnerable learners. This involves innovative use of funding and developing partnerships. I regularly work with senior leaders in a range of organisations. •Working with businesses to generate careers related opportunities for vulnerable young people.•County lead for Health and Social Care Guild, brokering relationships between business and education to promote the sector and ensure training meets the needs of businesses.•County lead for the Kentchoices brand. This is a complex programme of careers activities and events. I have oversight of the budgets for these activities. I also have to project manage aspects of this work. I regularly deliver careers sessions to young people, partner organisations and local businesses. •Supporting transition of the department into an education services company.Running procurement and project management processes for key projects such as management of skills centres and provision of online services. Successes: establishing innovative new NEET reduction partnerships in Maidstone, Tonbridge and Tonbridge Wells. 25% reduction in NEET numbers in one year.

County Hall, Maidstone

This role is focused on securing successful post 16 progression for all learners. The main areas of work are driving the partnership arrangements for reducing numbers of young people becoming NEET (not in employment, education or training) and developing innovative solutions to enable successful post 16 progression for vulnerable learners. Duties:•Co-ordinating activity, staff and data across multiple KCC departments, voluntary and community organisations, schools, colleges and training providers. •Working with a range of education providers and support services to fill gaps in local provision for vulnerable learners. This involves innovative use of funding and developing partnerships. I regularly work with senior leaders in a range of organisations. •Working with businesses to generate careers related opportunities for vulnerable young people.•County lead for Health and Social Care Guild, brokering relationships between business and education to promote the sector and ensure training meets the needs of businesses.•County lead for the Kentchoices brand. This is a complex programme of careers activities and events. I have oversight of the budgets for these activities. I also have to project manage aspects of this work. I regularly deliver careers sessions to young people, partner organisations and local businesses. •Supporting transition of the department into an education services company.Running procurement and project management processes for key projects such as management of skills centres and provision of online services. Successes: establishing innovative new NEET reduction partnerships in Maidstone, Tonbridge and Tonbridge Wells. 25% reduction in NEET numbers in one year.

Kent, Essex And East Sussex

The focus of this role is to bring a business lead and focus to the skills sector across Kent, Essex and East Sussex to ensure that skills needs are met to facilitate economic growth.This involved:-Leading on SELEP's skills agenda.-Leading on the development implementation of a Southeast skills strategy. -Supporting the board and other structures within SELEP to ensure that skills issues are considered alongside infrastructure needs, economic growth and other strategic issues, such as the Lower Thames Crossing. This involved giving regular presentations and writing reports. -Completing tasks and projects devolved from central government, normally with minimal resources and very short time frames.-managing multi-disciplinary teams involving staff from multiple partner organisations to develop projects. -Responsible for £10 million skills capital budget. -Developing the programs, writing the specications and supporting procurement for SELEP's ESF funding. This has involved working with DWP, The Skills Funding Agency, Big Lottery and other strategic partners across the South East. -Developing and leading complex partnerships with central government, authorities and strategic partners in the Southeast and nationally. Supporting change in these organisations as the LEP took on key functions in the skills arena.

Kent, Essex, Sussex

I represented Kent County Council to the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP), supporting the development of their skills agenda. This involved working with EU and national funders, politicians, businesses to develop the skills needed for economic growth across the area. I was the lead for dealing with Big Lottery regarding social inclusion projects and worked closely with DWP.Within KCC I supported the development of the county adult skills strategy, a social impact bond and our large annual careers/skills event.The role involved diplomacy, developing and implementing high level policy and project management.

I oversaw a range of projects around careers, employability, apprenticeships and employer engagement. I was given the freedom to get out, network and try out new ideas. This was a challenge but I developed successful collaborations with Microsoft and Barclays to increase the number of apprenticeships and ease young people's transitions into work. We worked to change the way young people move into the world of work. I had input into national policy on developing an online portal to help young people progress into post 16 education and apprenticeships.I developed an online portal to help young people into work by providing them with employability development resources and connecting them to employers. This involvedbeing the middle man between technical and no-technical staff and driving adoption across the county.

County Hall, Maidstone

I was responsible for the county's online prospectus, www.kentchoices4u.com, aimed at supporting year 11 students into post 16 education. The site is the largest and most used of it's type with about 200,000 visits a year and over 13,500 applications made through the system. We devised a support and training network to ensure it was embedded in the schools and colleges across the county. In this period I also piloted and established Kentchoices Live, a careers event that has now grown into a two day interactive exhibition that attracts over 4,500 visitors and attracts extensive media coverage.

Sirttingbourne, Kent

I was taken on to set up the county's first online prospectus for year 11s. In six months we engaged with 106 secondary schools, gathered data on all the courses they offered and populated the website. We then trained all the schools to use the system and support their students. Use grew rapidly and I was asked to input into national policy in this area.

Canterbury, United Kingdom

As well as classroom teaching I supported many creative activities in the school.

This was my first teaching position so I went from rabbit in the headlights to leading on projects before moving on to my next position.

Kent, Uk

Various roles in social care working with people with learning disabilities and mental health issues.

Project Management Essentials, Project Management

An introduction to project management. Taken to update my project management skills.

Cmi Level 7 In Strategic Management, Business Administration And Management, General, Pass - This Is A Pass/Fail Qualification

This was a distance learning course in strategic management covering finance, change management performance management, personal.

Post Graduate Certificate In Education, Primary Education, Pass

Teacher training - the toughest year of my life.

American Studies, History Literature And Politics, 2:1

Activities and Societies: University Big Band, University Orchestra I studied at UMASS as part of my UK American Studies degree. I.

Ba, American Studies, 2:1

Activities and Societies: President of the Jazz Society, Member of the University Orchestra I loved this period of my life and grabbed.

Education record

10 O levels including Maths and English at grade C and above. A levels is history, English and General Studies - all at grade B