Nicky McDonald who has worked in education and training for more than 35 years has recently been appointed as Operations and Quality Director at a leading national training provider in Somerset.
Nicky from the Cotswolds, who is passionate about apprenticeships and adult learning in the health and social care sector, has joined AAA Training Solutions in Weston-super-Mare.
AAA’s CEO, David Grant said:
“We’re delighted to officially announce this month that we’ve appointed Nicky as our new Operations and Quality Director. “She brings to our team a great deal of expertise and experience in all aspects of quality and operations management.
“As a qualified teacher, assessor and Internal Quality Assurer (IQA), Nicky has worked across many sectors including offender learning, special educational needs (SEN) education, charitable sector and work-based learning.
“She has a Batchelor of Arts in English from Southampton University, as well as foundation degrees in operational leadership and management.”
Nicky has held senior management posts, including Principal and Registered Manager of a specialist residential college, where she developed a curriculum combining elements of care and education to improve the lives and opportunities for young adults with moderate to severe learning difficulties.
She is an experienced Makaton communicator, has worked with young adults with profound communication difficulties and is experienced in working with learners with autism and those who display challenging behaviours.
Alongside this role, Nicky worked as a specialist inspector for the Adult Learning Inspectorate and then OFSTED, monitoring and reporting on quality in similar residential provision. She has extensive knowledge of education, health and social care in this sector.
As Director of a national charity, she had additional responsibility for developing and implementing training programmes, as well as writing qualifications for work-based learners wishing to qualify in the sector or upskill their vocational knowledge.
Sitting on apprenticeship trailblazer groups in the land-based sector, Nicky has experience of working alongside employers and the Institute for Apprenticeships in writing and gaining approval for qualifications, standards delivery and EPA.
David added:
“More recently Nicky was head of Apprenticeships at a first-rate training provider ensuring operational compliance and quality across the courses and qualifications offered.”
Nicky has a broad range of senior management experience but is particularly adept at change management and driving curriculum improvement.
Nicky said:
“There’s a great team of talented experts in apprenticeships, training and education working here at AAA and it’s a pleasure and privilege to be part of the business. I am very much looking forward to developing my role and helping the business grow further.”
AAA Training is on the ESFA’s Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP) and partners with clients to provide programmes that specifically meet their needs and to assist them in upskilling their existing workforce through the qualification.
David added:
“We also work closely with care providers to deliver high quality RQF training and assessments within our Apprenticeship Programme.”
AAA’s experienced national team of trainers and assessors deliver a comprehensive range of courses from Level 2 through to Level 5. It also ensures organisations fully benefit from the Apprenticeship Levy and offers training and qualifications in Leadership and Management.
For further details, please call 0345 163 2170, visit www.aaatrainingsolutions.com or follow the company on Twitter at AAATraining1 or log on to www.facebook.com/Aaatrainingsols/.