Simon Brewer Email & Phone Number

Bridgwater, Gb

Bridgwater, Gb

Bridgwater, Somerset, Gb

Lead on Bridgwater & Taunton College's engagement with the major infrastructure projects as they develop locally, regionally and nationally, ensuring that clients, contractors and stakeholders receive the best response and experience from the College.Ensure that all the experience, knowledge and lessons learned from our unique exposure and response to the new nuclear build at Hinkley Point C is delivering benefit to other infrastructure projects regionally and nationally.

Bridgwater, Somerset, Gb

Lead the College's response to the massive skills demand from the UK's and the South West region's construction sector, including the new nuclear build at Hinkley Point C.Delivering fully contractor/employer & client responsive programmes that provide trained, certificated operators and apprentices that have impact in their organisations. Manage and deliver a world class customer experience at our Construction Skills and Innovation Centre in Cannington, Somerset, a first class training facility for civil engineering Groundworker, Steel Fixer, Formworker, Concrete Operative and Plant Operator training and apprenticeships.

Bridgwater, Somerset, Gb

Cross-college leadership & management which fosters effective employer relationships driving the commercial, apprenticeship and other income streams for the planned financial growth.Deliver employment, progressing and work experience opportunities for college students, local unemployed and employees wishing to progress.Deliver a fantastic learning and development experience and meet the specific skills challenges faced by our employer customers.

Bridgwater, Somerset, Gb

Responsible for working with key colleagues to develop solutions and commercial business cases for major employer projects locally, nationally and internationally.

To establish the independence, presence and operation of the Hinkley Point Training Agency (HPTA). Communicate with the key stakeholders and skills provider network in order to co-ordinate the relevant expertise to deliver the competent workforce for the new nuclear build at Hinkley Point C. Secure funds that will support the skills and standards development and the capacity to deliver the business plan, and enable the business to recruit to the full time roles for HPTA.

Bournemouth, Dorset, Gb

Responsible for strategic direction and performance management of team of Customer Engagement field staff, and management structure, to deliver sufficient new customers through partner organisations, in order that the business can deliver skills and qualifications to utilise it's £16m budget.Implement Performance Management Framework, structures and ways of working to support ambitious business growth.Develop partnerships and relationships with key partners and stakeholders to maintain sustainable routes to market that support growth opportunities for the business with current and potential contracts.Forge productive relationships with operational and central support functions to ensure full support for business development teams.Develop managers and field staff to give staff skills and confidence to achieve their targets and results for the business.

Implement new strategy after acquisition of TABS Training by learndirect Ltd.Responsible for re-structuring the Business Development, Information, Advice & Guidance, Employer Services and Customer Service areas of the business.Member of Senior Management Team, responsible for ensuring the business achieves it's learner starts and income targets. Also jointly responsible for integrating a recently acquired training organisation based in London, into our mainstream delivery - effectively doubling the size of the organisation in terms of income and staff (400 staff).Key priorities to generate strategic partnerships in order to secure future customer referrals and integrate our skills delivery into the overall Skills & Employability landscape.

Senior Management role in the organisation, with a remit to consolidate, then grow the apprenticeship side of the business by generating a 3 year business plan with growth targets and then implement the agreed plan. Included pulling together 3 different streams of the business into a single functioning business unit focussed on one delivery model, and successfully going through an SFA audit and a quality inspection.Soon after joining TABS, the owners began a process of selling the business, which was eventually acquired by learndirect. My remit changed in this period, from a planning and building brief, to one of managing the wholesale changes involved in the sale and the transition of the business to focussing solely on Adult Skills for unemployed, rather than apprenticeships. Promotion to Director for Employment & Skills followed.

Bournemouth, Dorset, Gb

Led on work with a project team across multiple-departments at learndirect to introduce and develop a scalable delivery model for apprenticeships, utilising SFA budget through network of sub-contracted training providers. Delivered £5 million budget target in 16 months.Conducted Quality focussed assurance visits to providers to support and enhance quality of delivery across network, working with Quality & Audit teams to ensure full compliance with SFA & OFSTED requirements.Led on Apprenticeship Provider network events, cascading key information, tools and sharing good practice to ensure we maximised the knowledge in our network for the good of all our customers.Performance managed the delivery to stretching targets and worked with team of people to monitor and manage the delivery and performance of our contracted providers.Participated on various project teams to develop and implements systems and processes for standardising and maximising the efficiency of the delivery.

Bournemouth, Dorset, Gb

Responsible for setting up and co-managing a management and delivery team for new business areas for learndirect including employer-focussed training delivery around Skills for Life, NVQ’s and Apprenticeships on a national scale.Co-wrote detailed process documentation to support delivery of new business areas across multiple sites for national delivery.Recruited and trained customer-facing, field-based delivery staff and back-office support staff.Implemented systems and procedures to support delivery against stretching targets and to budget, from point of sale through to evaluation of success.

Bournemouth, Dorset, Gb

Manage contracts between learndirect & training providers in SouthWest region and across multi-regions for sub-contracted SFA funded training delivery.Visit training providers to ensure contract performance, quality and audit procedures were adhered to. Negotiate with operational and senior staff, to plan future development or action improvement plans.Responsible for ensuring network of centres were conforming to Health & Safety requirements of contract and produced regular comms bulletins on Health & Safety to ensure high levels of compliance and safety of our customers (learners).

Manage learndirect contract, quality, delivery, audit & partnership working with University for Industry.Manage learndirect team & training provision, including customer service issues, OFSTED inspection, staff development & all associated staff issues.Develop learndirect provision, implement improvement plans, deliver Skills for Life tests & training.Manage & Develop Forklift Truck training provision in line with Health & Safety requirements.Member of Operational Management team, responsible for day to day running of organisation, including managing budgets, contracts, business development & marketing.Oversee & manage all aspects of the company ICT infrastructure & support contracts.Responsible for development of new BGTG sales-focussed website.(Company take-over and role consolidation meant my position was effectively redundant)

Bristol, Gb

Member of Bristol Libraries Senior Management Team. Responsible for strategic & operational running of 26 Branch Libraries across Bristol, Schools, Prison, Mobile & “At Home” Library Service, with 200 staff on array of working patterns, including all Health & Safety arrangements and issues in conjunction with Senior Facilities Manager.Contribute to strategic planning & management of service - changing front face of Libraries in order to modernise library offer & attract new customers, whilst maintaining credibility with existing users.Introduced Wireless Internet Access to refurbished libraries (first for the council in public buildings) & Digital Public Information Systems. Central role in management of 8 library refurbishments & 2 new-build libraries, changing long-established working practices.Lead officer on implementation of new Service Performance Management Framework.Responsible for Staff Development for entire service (300 staff) & regularly deal with complex recruitment, performance, sickness, development & grievance staffing issuesPart of Senior Management Team planning & implementing complete Management Restructure of service, negotiating & consulting with staff & Unions.Regularly working with corporate, centralised services (recruitment, Personnel, IT, HR, Payroll, Health & Safety, Customer Service etc…) including cutting through bureaucracy & challenging existing boundaries.Working with elected members (local councillors) over political aspects of service, and giving radio, TV & newspaper interviews in order to promote the service.

Developed & delivered public & in-house Basic Health & Safety courses. Also assessed City & Guilds NVQ level 3 & 4 Occupational Health & Safety Practice, CIEH First Principles course, CCNSG Passport course, Manual Handling & DSE Assessor courses, amongst others.Advised range of engineering and service companies on health & safety arrangements, legislation, best practice etc. CPD included attending courses, seminars & actively searching for sources of information & reading professional publications. Liaised with major national gas & chemical organisations to arrange Health & safety training for on & off-shore personnel. Joined existing Health & Safety Team & developed new areas of expertise to increase scope of BTG offer.Produced quarterly Health & Safety magazine for member companiesManaged IT/learndirect Training department, across 4 learning centres, concentrating mainly on a workplace training delivery model.This included the NVQ & Health & Safety training teams.Lead role in business development, including strategic partnerships with other training organisations.Reporting to senior management team, the role involved maintaining quality of training provision, managing performance, developing business & the learndirect training facility.Responsible for all aspects of tendering & contracting for government funding.On successful bid team for Centre of Vocational Excellence Steering Group & gained Advanced Engineering CoVE status.Managed IT Network system after overseeing the implementation of new Windows network.

Set up & ran Engineering and Fabrication Planning Office, producing weekly contract/shop loading charts & plans, allocating men to jobs, negotiating price-work, planning jobs from start to finish.Produced and processed Bills of Materials for all work and allocated to jobs on shop-floor.Negotiated piece-work prices with foreman and shop stewards.Responsible for employee and work experience students inductions, produced Logbook and Training Manual for apprentices & work experience students, & oversaw their progress.Took on Training & Development role for the organisation, to ensure all mandatory & development training was planned, recorded and undertaken.Part of team that successfully gained IiP accreditation and re-accreditation.Worte and implemented ISO 9001 procedures for the Planning Office, integrating with business-wide procedures.

Detailed all Civil Engineering projects. Researched & developed major new machinery i.e. detail drawings, oversaw trial fits, instruction manual, testing etc…(Company hit hard by recession - my post was made redundant)

Undertook and completed a full, 4 year indentured Engineering Technicians Apprenticeship.Went on to be a fully qualified Structural Draughtsman and a full member of the Drawing Office team.Project Managemed various structural steelwork projects, liaising with architects and Engineers, installation crews and customers.Responsible for accurate general plans of sites, as well as detailed component part and assembly design, bills of materials and site surveys.

D32 & D33 Assessor Awards, Training & Development

Diploma In Management Studies, Management

Certificate In Management Studies, Management

Bcs European Computer Driving Licence, Ict

City & Guilds Nvq Level 4 In Occupational Health & Safety Practice, Health & Safety

Iosh Managing Safely, Health & Safety

Nebosh National General Certificate In Occupational Safety & Health, Health & Safety

Certificate In Training Practise, Training & Development

Onc & Hnc In Civil Engineering Studies, Civil Engineering Technology/Technician

Education record