Workshop Facilitators

Mike Cox 

Business Development Director, Association of Employment and Learning Providers

After 13 years in retail purchasing and supply, Mike became an assessor for apprenticeships with TBG Learning in 1999. He soon moved onto various development roles with learndirect, RNID and then LSN where he headed up the bidding and development team, helping design support programmes and research in areas including Train to Gain, Citizenship, Diplomas, Key Skills, Functional Skills and Foundation Learning. He joined AELP in February 2013.

Mike is married with 2 children and lives in rural Kent.


Lindsay Collins

Director of Operations, Kent Association of Training Organisations

Lindsay has worked within the Learning and Skills sector in Kent for over 20 years and as the director of KATO for the past nine. KATO is one of the longest standing Training Provider networks in the country, supporting over 50 Work Based Learning Training Providers including the five FE colleges in Kent.
Lindsay represents the strategic voice of the work based learning sector and is responsible for the dissemination of current information and key messages to members of the network from Government, Local Authorities, funding agencies, the Local Enterprise Partnership and other key partners. She facilitates building capacity and capability of providers through quality improvement and the collaboration for joint ventures.
Lindsay directs a small team of staff and external consultants that respond to both sector initiatives and provider development needs through one to one consultancy, peer review and post inspection support. Where possible using externally funded activity from European Social Fund, Local Authorities, Education and Skills Funding Agency and the Education and Training Foundation.
Lindsay leads and participates at both national, regional and local events on meaningful employer engagement in skills delivery and the development of policy in practice.  

Michael Ratcliffe

Projects Lead, Kent Association of Training Organisations

Michael has been involved in the educational sector for 20 years as a director, manager and tutor/assessor within independent training providers. He has experience of both strategic and operational functions within provision and has focused on the design, delivery and development of learning programmes through quality improvement for both classroom to Apprenticeships. He has focused on employer responsive delivery programmes for both direct and consortium delivery and his key activity has been meeting both local labour market needs and particularly employer requirements.

More recently, Michael spent 3 years as Peer Review and Development (PRD) Adviser at LSIS. A key part of his role at LSIS was working with and supporting the sector using the peer review methodology for the quality improvement and development of work based learning for FE and Skills providers. Key activities have been to support peer review and development activities with providers and peer groups including: Getting people into work and education; Developing virtual learning opportunities (VLE); Quality Improvement – Self-assessment and improvement planning; Peer observation (OTLA); Skills investment (Employer Ownership); Virtual learning; WBL provider developments (policy and practice) – NCNC, CIF, SASE, QCF; Success rates; Apprenticeship Information Ambassadors; Managing sub-contracted provision/delivery; EDI and safeguarding; Curriculum development; Whole organisational improvement; (TUC); Inspection; Building effective learner voice activities to capture evidence for monitoring and improvement.

Michael has worked with KATO since April 2014 leading on the SWS Employer Liaison Coordinator development programme supporting capacity building. He has also delivered on the ETF and Learning Consortium activity as Regional Learning Champion along supporting providers through designing, developing and facilitating events for providers on; OTLA moderation and feedback, TLA focus and effective feedback and development planning for improvement; funding and improvement planning. A key part of his role at KATO is to develop the employer and skills elements of Talent Match South East working with providers and employers in Essex, Kent and East Sussex to support young people into employment and enterprise.