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There’s no denying:
we’re passionate about what we do.


Skills and Education Group Awards offer qualifications and assessments which are regulated by CCEA, Ofqual and Qualifications Wales. Partnering with us can be a key strategy for moving your organisation forward. Why not do more?

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“Having spent my entire career in further education, committed to the mission of enabling opportunity through education, I feel privileged to be a part of Skills & Education Group as Interim Chief Executive and I look forward to leading them into their next phase. Skills and Education Group has been widening participation through learning for over 100 years and I'm proud to be part of an organisation whose values align so well with my own.”

Yultan Mellor

Acting Chief Executive

Yultan Mellor brings a wealth of experience to her role as Interim CEO at Skills and Education Group. She has dedicated 30 years to the further education sector and, as a Trustee and Chair of Access to Higher Education within the Group, understands our mission and values.

Yultan’s responsibilities include:

  • Passionate about enabling opportunities through education, Yultan prioritises people and collaborative working. Her extensive leadership experience at the highest levels within the education sector equips her to guide the organisation through this transformative period.
  • Collaborating with the Board of Trustees, senior leadership team, and staff to develop and begin to implement our future direction and plans.
  • Providing stable leadership and ensuring continuity of operations to prepare the organisation for a smooth transition to a permanent CEO.

 

Yultan believes that “Together, we can achieve more.”

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Denise Kriens

Interim Director of HR and Designated Safeguarding Lead

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“Education and skills can be a life changer, regardless of a person’s stage of life. I can support career changes, widen skill sets, grow confidence, and impact families and communities for the better. It’s the best!”

Kaye Jackson

Director of Business Growth and Engagement

Kaye is committed to growing customer relationships and supporting our customers as they work to improve the life chances in the communities they serve.

 

If a jigsaw puzzle is missing a piece, you want Kaye on the case. She loves the trust that comes from growing customer relationships, and listening and really getting to the bottom of what people are trying to achieve. For her, no two days are ever the same, and there is certainly no time to get bored as she works to solve the puzzle that is the further education and skills sector.

Kaye is responsible for:

  • Leading the work of our knowledgeable and solution-focused Relationship Management team, ensuring clear points of contact for all customers across Skills and Education Group
  • Establishing relationships with key stakeholders and maintaining up-to-date knowledge of the skills landscape on a regional and national level
  • Identifying new business opportunities across Skills and Education Group and effectively managing pipelines
  • Providing excellent customer service, and serving as a source of information and a critical friend when needed
  • Working with the Brand Manager and wider communications team to ensure products and services are effectively marketed and communicated

Knowing that Skills and Education Group has a true desire to improve the life chances of communities, Kaye and her team work hard to make sure they support our customers in making this a reality. She finds no better feeling than when customers share the same passion as her, and their faces light up when they realise she has just found the solution they hadn’t thought of.

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"I enjoy working for an organisation who strives to support their staff and learners to achieve, no matter what point they have started from, and to progress on their chosen journey in life and work. I would like to use my success to support the progression of others."

Andrea Pollicott

Head of Compliance and Regulation

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“Our members and all the learners they serve are committed to educational, occupational and social advancement. In everything I do, I want to ensure that Skills and Education Group is best positioned to support them.”

Aneka Cann

Head of Brands

Around here, Aneka is the glue that holds things together, day in and day out. An expert in all things branding, she manages the brands of our four nationally recognised organisations: Skills and Education Group, Skills and Education Group Awards, Skills and Education Group Access, and BIIAB. Despite an endless to-do list, she always makes sure that we’re on track through her thorough, precise planning and execution. If it’s on the list, Aneka gets it done.

Aneka’s many responsibilities include:

  • Project management
  • Creative leadership
  • Events coordination
  • Team leadership
  • Content strategy and development

 

Drawing on her background in marketing, communications and graphic design, Aneka is a valued team member who turns creative ideas into a well-organised process that communicates our brand and services. In turn, her work contributes to the advancement of further education and skills, along with the opportunities that they afford so many individuals and communities.

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“It’s great to see the sheer joy of learner achievement and how the values of Skills and Education Group contribute to this. It’s why we do our jobs each day.”

Elaine Barker

Head of Centre Support

When you work with Elaine, you’re barking up the right tree. Putting the customer at the centre of everything that she does, Elaine is committed to delivering excellent service by ensuring that our Centre Support team always knows exactly what they’re doing and why, the team’s goals and service standards, and how the team is progressing with each.

Elaine’s role includes:

  • Ensuring smooth and effective day-to-day Centre Support team operations
  • Keeping processes current, effective and understood by all that use them
  • Aligning tasks and activities with the overall vision of the Group
  • Maintaining awareness amongst colleagues about the need to comply with regulatory responsibilities
  • Developing and continually improving the Centre Support team’s excellent customer service
  • Planning, supporting and encouraging the personal development and growth of the Centre Support team

 

Valuing transparency and forthright discussion, Elaine encourages everyone on her team to contribute to advancing its goals and to make suggestions to change or improve processes where needed. She knows that the world of education is ever-changing and strives to keep her team one step ahead, providing excellence in service to our customers and high-quality education opportunities to learners.

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“It’s important to me to always enable individuals to protect others and themselves whilst they work in often difficult and unappreciated security roles.”

Ruth Goldsworthy

Head of Security and Protective Services

Driven by the goal of ensuring that every learner is given the knowledge and skills to work safely in the security industry, Ruth brings her gold star effort and expertise to everything she does.

In her role, Ruth is responsible for:

  • Managing all aspects of quality in relation to Security Industry Authority (SIA) qualifications
  • Ensuring robust processes are in place to minimise risks in Centre approvals
  • Supporting Centres in enhancing standards and compliance, and the External Quality Assurance team to ensure sampling is conducted across all Centres
  • Ensuring that qualification training delivery, assessments and examinations meet requirements
  • Conducting investigations into alleged malpractice/maladministration
  • Ensuring that the processing of results is conducted in a timely fashion
  • Making customer service a key measure of performance

 

At Skills and Education Group, Ruth knows the importance of valuing each team member for their skills and experience and sees that ethic firmly in place at Skills and Education Group, along with a collaborative drive to improve standards and support Centres in achieving the same respect for their staff and learners.

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"Creating business impact thrives on the collaboration between pounds, people, and place – where financial resources, human potential, and local context align to drive sustainable growth and innovation."

Solman Nouman

Director of Finance & Operations

Solman is a senior leader with over 15 years of extensive experience in the third sector, including the past 8 years specialising in the cultural and education sectors. He holds a first-class honours degree in BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance from Nottingham Trent University and initially trained as a management accountant in the manufacturing industry. Fun fact: ask him about traffic signs and 3-part number plates!

Solman is known for his fast-paced, yet detail-oriented and collaborative approach to leadership. He embraces the Kaizen philosophy, consistently driving ‘good change’ through incremental improvements and empowering those around him to achieve their full potential.

Outside of work, Solman enjoys spending time with his son, exploring railway heritage museums. They share a love for miniature steam trains, ice cream, and chips.

As Director of Finance and Operations, Solman is responsible for:

  • Leading the finance and operations strategy
  • Overseeing financial planning, budgeting, and reporting processes
  • Managing financial resources effectively
  • Ensuring compliance with all relevant financial regulations and internal controls
  • Collaborating with senior leadership to support the overall vision and mission of the organisation
  • Developing and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders, including board members, partners, and funders
  • Mentoring and developing staff

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Lindsey Male

Head of Product Development

Lindsey Male brings a wealth of experience to her role as Head of Product Development at Skills and Education Group. With over 25 years in the education sector, she is dedicated to shaping high-quality qualifications that meet industry needs and regulatory standards.

 

Lindsey’s responsibilities include:

  • Leading the strategic development and implementation of regulated qualifications.
  •  Ensuring compliance with awarding body and regulatory requirements.
  •  Overseeing product development and quality assurance processes.
  • Collaborating with stakeholders to create impactful learning experiences.

 

Lindsey is committed to advancing excellence in education, with a strong focus on innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement. Her leadership enables her to steer the organisation’s product development strategy while upholding the highest standards in qualification delivery.

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Skills and Education Group Awards is delivering high-quality and trusted service to Centres and learners, so that everyone gets the education they deserve.

Believing in the potential of every individual, we’re all about:

Partnering for change:

We’re working with hundred of Awards Centres to help them deliver accredited qualifications in diverse sectors that make a positive difference in communities across the UK.

Building the workforce:

We partner with organisations to build safer, more productive industries through improved occupational skills.

Levelling up:

Our qualifications enhance learner skills in a range of areas, including women in STEM and awareness of Workers' Rights and Labour Exploitation.

Skills and Education Group Awards is proud to be part of the Skills and Education Group

Meet our family!

Meet our family!
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For us, collaborative efforts build lasting success. Together, the organisations in the Skills and Education Group family take care of each other and learners and providers just like family.

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We know the power of all.

Our partnerships aren’t just with our membership, they’re with each other. Because we know that inclusion and collaboration are key to creating opportunities for everyone.

Meet our team!

Leadership Team

Yultan Mellor

Acting Chief Executive

Denise Kriens

Interim Director of HR and Designated Safeguarding Lead

Kaye Jackson

Director of Business Growth and Engagement

Andrea Pollicott

Head of Compliance and Regulation

Aneka Cann

Head of Brands

Elaine Barker

Head of Centre Support

Ruth Goldsworthy

Head of Security and Protective Services

Solman Nouman

Director of Finance & Operations

Lindsey Male

Head of Product Development

Board of Trustees

By engaging our stakeholders and communities, our Trustees maintain accountability, accessibility and the highest ethical standards and ensure that we deliver services tailored to meet the priorities, values and expectations of everyone we support.

Jeremy Scorer

Chair

Daphne Saxelby

Trustee

Mark Holden

Trustee

Stewart Segal

Trustee

Gill Scott

Chair of Skills and Education Group Access