Senior Management
Jane has worked in vocational education since 1994, and set up Riverside Training in 1996, therefore has a wealth of knowledge and industry experience. She is passionate about developing people to their full potential and is driven to provide the highest standard of customer service across all areas of the business. She’s a charismatic and energetic visionary who puts the happiness and well-being of her team above all else, believing that success will come from happy people.
Business development is her main focus & she enjoys nothing more than collaborating with like-minded organisations.
Outside of work, Jane has been a Magistrate since 2001, she’s a keen skier and horse rides as often as she can.
Lucy joined the company in October 2021 as the Quality & Safeguarding Manager and specialises in quality and leadership.
Lucy brings a wealth of experience to the role; she started as a Business Administration Apprentice, rather appropriately, and went on to become a Tutor, IQA, Ops Manager, Quality Lead, and even a Head of Apprenticeships. She’s also been an Ofsted Nominee.
In April 2024, Lucy was promoted to Director of Quality, Curriculum & Safeguarding.
Away from work, Lucy loves to explore the Cumbrian countryside during long walks with her husband and two dogs. She’s also an avid reader.
Marlon joined Riverside Training in September 2022 as a Learning & Development Coach.
Marlon has worked in education for the past 11+ years, both in school as a Teacher and Deputy Headteacher, and in teacher training and consultancy for organisations like Harris, Ark and Teach First.
Marlon was promoted to Education Sector Team Leader in June 2023, then Learning Director in April 2024.
In his spare time, Marlon enjoys playing and watching football. He’s been to Glastonbury Festival about 10 times and loves music.
Alix joined Riverside Training in March 2021, and has over 20 years of experience in operations, in both independent and corporate organisations. Alix has previously worked as a General Manager for 14 years, and her last role was working in Learning & Development covering 62 sites across the North of the UK.
Alix thrives on being able to inspire and encourage others to reach their full potential – we never stop learning!
In her spare time, Alix enjoys yoga, shoe shopping, and being a social butterfly.
Sarah joined Riverside Training in March 2022 as the Business Support Team Leader.
Sarah has a creative background, she studied Art and Design, which then led to a 13-year career in M&S, starting in Hereford as a Visual Merchandiser, dressing Head Office Baker Street windows, working as a stylist for brochures to stores, and covering the Cotswolds for Visual Merchandising with international work. She then worked as a Brand Assistant at Topshop Head Office for 4 years, looking after the southwest. Sarah then returned home to take a position as Manager of Monsoon in Hereford for 6 years.
In August 2023, Sarah was promoted to Office Manager.
After a full-time career for 20 years, she had her daughter, Evie, now 15.
She loves spending time with family and friends, going on city breaks, visiting galleries, and walking with her dog.
Sales & Marketing
Rebecca joined Riverside Training in June 2020, having graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a First Class Honours Degree in Business and Management.
Rebecca maintains and develops relationships with our key accounts and ensures that learners and employers are supported throughout the process.
In her spare time, Rebecca enjoys skiing, travelling, spending time with friends, and going for long walks with her dog, Bailey.
Louise joined Riverside Training in August 2006 with extensive experience in sales and marketing. She has been heavily involved with the strategic growth of the business and has a wealth of knowledge in apprenticeship training for 16-64-year-olds, apprenticeship recruitment, and commercial training.
Louise works directly with our national key accounts and is responsible for supporting clients with their apprenticeship levy funds, ensuring the business meets their training requirements.
In her spare time, Louise enjoys city breaks, yoga, and collecting gym memberships (as she never actually goes).
Kieren joined Riverside Training in August 2015. Kieren is the Marketing Executive and oversees all marketing campaigns and social media activity.
During his spare time, Kieren enjoys spending quality time with his family or going to the gym.
Andy joined Riverside Training in June 2022 as an Apprenticeship Engagement Advisor.
With an earlier career in hospitality and retail management, Andy has been in the welfare-to-work industry for over 9 years and has been lucky enough to offer support to different individuals across a variety of contracts, most recently as a National Careers Service Advisor.
Andy is originally from Liverpool but was raised in Wales so he can often jump between accents without realising!
Andy enjoys being active and regularly goes running, plays football, and enjoys walks in the countryside with his partner.
Freya joined Riverside Training in April 2022 as an Enrolment Officer. Previously, Freya worked in hospitality and therefore enjoys developing her administrative skills as well as using her customer service skills to interact with learners in this role.
Outside of work, Freya is a member of a local pottery studio. She enjoys walking her 2 dogs and spending time with her family.
Michelle joined Riverside Training as the Business Development Manager in July 2024.
Before joining Riverside, Michelle worked as an Account Executive for Cotteswold Dairy. While she enjoyed her work there, she sought a new challenge and a more rewarding career path, which led her to Riverside Training.
Finance
Clare joined Riverside Training in September 2000 as Finance Manager. She is responsible for all company accounts and oversees payroll, contracts, and purchase orders.
In April 2024 Clare was promoted to Director of Finance & Business Support.
During her spare time, Clare enjoys skiing, fitness, entertaining, and socialising with friends.
Maddie joined Riverside in September 2021 as Finance Apprentice. With a passion for numbers and a natural aptitude for working with them, she has become an integral part of the finance team.
Having completed her AAT Level 2 qualification, Maddie has demonstrated her commitment to expanding her knowledge and skills in the field of accounting. Her academic accomplishments reflect her determination and eagerness to excel in her role, as she constantly seeks to enhance her understanding of financial principles and best practices.
Outside of work, Maddie enjoys socialising with her friends and she’s a keen animal lover with 2 dogs and a cat.
Quality Officers
Harry joined Riverside Training in April 2024 as a Quality Officer.
Harry lives in sunny Cornwall with his wife and 2 guinea pigs (Flora and Zelda). He enjoy sea swimming and walks on the beach. Harry plays the guitar and enjoys playing video games like The Legend of Zelda.
He comes from a previous training provider that supported job seekers back into the workplace through vocational training courses. He was a tutor for 2 different programmes and then become an IQA . Before that Harry trained as a music teacher in secondary education and also worked as a recruitment and training specialist at a luxury hotel on the north coast of Cornwall.
Helen joined Riverside Training in 2006. Helen’s background is in hospitality and management and she looked after hospitality and catering learners when she first started at Riverside and was very successful in supporting the learners to achieve. Helen then had the opportunity to undertake her V1 Award in 2017, which she achieved, and then became part of the quality assurance team where she has been ever since.
As a Quality Officer, Helen helps mentor and support Learning & Development Coaches to develop and achieve their learners.
In her spare time, Helen enjoys going out for afternoon tea with her friends and spending lots of quality time with her two sons.
Maddy joined Riverside Training in September 2020 as a Learning & Development Coach in Adult Care and Business Administration. She has 30 years of experience in the health and social care sector, with half of those spent as a Learning & Development Coach supporting learners and apprentices to achieve their qualifications.
Maddy is at her happiest when she is with her family, picnicking by lakes, rivers, or the sea, getting lost in woods, watching sunsets from hilltops, paddling in rivers, stargazing in fields, or exploring abandoned buildings and castles. She is never without her camera to capture all those beautiful memories.
At home, Maddy likes to sing, paint, craft, knit, sew, create, draw, listen to a huge range of music, and watch crime programmes.
Rebecca joined Riverside Training in January 2023 and is the Learning & Development Coach for students enrolled on the Teaching Assistant qualification and also supporting students with the Functional Skills English course.
Rebecca brings a breadth of knowledge to the role, after spending 7+ years in education, working firstly as a Teaching Assistant (while gaining her Degree in English) and then progressing onto a PGCE in Education to become a Teacher. Whilst in teaching, Rebecca progressed to earn the titles of Head of Computing, Head of Year 6, and Pupil Progress and Transition Leader.
Rebecca plans to utilise her English Degree and teaching experience to help support students while they are striving for excellence.
In her spare time, Rebecca enjoys spending time with her family, walking her dog Maximus Prime, any educational trips, and travelling.
Learning and Development Coaches
Anna joined Riverside Training in July 2024 as a Learning & Development coach for Sport. Anna studied Sports Coaching at the University of Gloucestershire and has competed at National Level in the Hammer and Shot put. Previous roles have included Sport coach for local organisations, cricket development officer and sports teacher and head of girl’s games.
Anna has 15 years of coaching experience in a range of different sports and runs a weekly Back to Netball programme where she coaches introduction sessions to women who have stopped participating for a variety of reasons. Anna has been recognised for her Netball and Cricket coaching and won awards locally and nationally and has also been a guest speaker at events and conferences. She is passionate about supporting and mentoring new coaches especially more women and girls and is also keen to learn more about disability sport and breaking down barriers. In her spare time, she enjoys playing Netball, Cricket and going Nordic walking. She loves supporting live music and attending festivals. Anna also likes to help and fundraiser for local charities in Herefordshire.
Clair joined Riverside Training in September 2020 as a Learning & Development Coach.
Clair has been working in social care since 1997, when she started work at a residential school in Herefordshire supporting young people with Learning Disabilities and complex needs, eventually ending up as a Senior Shift Leader. Clair subsequently joined the team at Herefordshire Council where she delivered a bespoke induction and foundation qualification for staff working with adults with learning disabilities.
Simultaneously Clair worked for a small not-for-profit organisation as a Project Manager, leading on nationally-funded projects to raise the profile of adult social care across Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and The Black Country.
Outside of work Clair enjoys spending her time with her family. She enjoys taking long walks in the countryside followed by long soaks in the hot tub. Clair’s other hobbies include reading and researching new things. Music is a massive part of Clair’s life and she has a song for everything.
Craig is a qualified teacher and joined Riverside in March 2023 following over 20 years of experience in education. Throughout his time in this industry, he held numerous leadership positions and had the opportunity to work on both curriculum and pastoral management in a school setting. His background is in Physical Education and Sport although one of his favourite roles was that of Lead Coach; where Craig was asked to lead the NQT and ITT programme, alongside coaching and mentoring colleagues.
Craig is hoping that this breadth of knowledge will be utilised as he strives to support learners on the Senior Leader Level 7 course.
Erin joined Riverside Training in May 2024 as a Learning & Development Coach.
When Erin isn’t immersed in spreadsheets, one might find her wrangling some unexpected guests. In her garden, there are cade lambs living their best lives, while the occasional cow passes by in the field outside her office window—a typical day in her unusual workspace. She also runs a woodshop, selling items on Etsy and completing custom work.
On the home front, Erin and her family are kept busy by their two-year-old. and her supportive husband who keeps the farm running smoothly. With a decade of accounting experience under her belt, Erin is eager to bring her expertise and a touch of rural charm to the team.
Jasmine joined Riverside Training in May 2023 as a Business Administrator/Customer Service Learning & Development Coach.
Jasmine has spent the majority of her working life in the hospitality industry, mainly in supervisory roles. Up until the beginning of 2023, she worked in the retail industry as an Area Manager for a confectionary company overseeing 269 sites.
Jasmine has been happily married to her husband for 10 years and they have three lovely children. They also have a cat called Tilly!
She’s a complete bookworm and loves anything to do with history. In her spare time, Jasmine enjoys all things arts and crafts, she’s drawn and made various pieces that are displayed around her home. She also loves travelling and exploring new places and spending time with family and friends.
Jemma joined Riverside Training in May 2023.
She has been a trainer/assessor/coach for the last few years, working with learners on diplomas and apprenticeships in management, business administration, and customer service. Prior to that, Jemma worked in various operations manager and team leader roles and also had her own business.
Jemma is a Mum of 3 and they keep her very busy! She also lives with a very cute cockapoo called Teddy the Terror (due to his love of stealing things!) and a cat called Max, who is less of a handful. She has a lovely partner and her hobbies include escaping for the weekend to random Airbnbs, travelling, live music, comedy, dance music, and drinking wine (all types!).
Laura joined Riverside Training as a Learning & Development Coach in April 2024
Laura loves to travel anywhere in the world and has converted van that she uses to travel the UK whenever she can.
She lives with her wife and two gorgeous cats (Alaska and Aroura) Laura is also a big gamer (CoD, Zelda and the Sims!), loves reading and can often be found doing DIY at home.
Laura has been a primary school teacher for nearly 18 years and held various different roles during that time, from class teacher to Deputy Headteacher.
Mel joined Riverside Training in June 2022 as a Learning & Development Coach.
Previously, Mel has worked at Wye Valley NHS Trust in a variety of different roles. She started at the NHS when she was 17 on a Customer Service Apprenticeship. Mel also trained as a Dental Nurse.
In her spare time, Mel enjoys walking (mostly into town for coffee and/or wine).
Najda is originally from Manchester and has been in primary teaching for over 6 years. She previously taught in the UAE and Qatar.
In a previous role, she was the team leader for Upper Key Stage Two. Najda has experience with different curriculums and frameworks such as American Common Core, International Baccalaureate, and the National Curriculum in England. She has a wide range of pedagogical skills, which she utilises in order to help her learners grow.
Other hobbies she enjoys include hiking, running, yoga, reading, and baking.
Nick is the Learning & Development Coach for our Sport, Education and Coaching Team, a sector that brings together many of his passions. Nick studied Sport and Physical Education at the University of Wales Institute Cardiff, where he also represented the University in BUSA basketball competitions and coached the second team. On returning to Hereford, he began a 16-year career teaching Physical Education and progressed to the role of Subject Leader for PE.
Nick joined Riverside Training in June 2020 as the Learning & Development Coach for our PE apprenticeship programme, delivered in association with Stride Active.
Away from work, Nick enjoys time with his family, his wife of 12 years Lucy, and two daughters, Ella and Marnie, who have shared his passion for sport which has seen them progress in golf and gymnastics respectively. He is a member of Burghill Valley Golf Club, enjoys cycling, and also coaches cricket during the spring/summer.
Paula joined Riverside Training as a Learning & Development Coach in May 2017, with a wealth of experience in training and Project Management in the private financial sector. Previous roles have included Head of Training, Curriculum Development, and eLearning Management. Her most accomplished moment was when she achieved FCA regulation for a large financial company in the UK.
Paula delivers the Associate Project Manager qualification, amongst others.
In her spare time, Paula likes to run and swim and is always planning a short break away to somewhere new!
Paula James is a dynamic professional with a passion for nurturing the potential of individuals, particularly in the realm of early years education. Joining Riverside in December 2023, Paula has quickly established herself as an invaluable asset to our team, bringing with her a wealth of experience and expertise.
With a background rooted in early childhood education, Paula holds a deep understanding of the crucial formative years in a child’s development. Her journey in the field has been marked by a commitment to creating enriching learning environments that foster curiosity, creativity, and growth.
As a Learning and Development Coach, Paula’s primary focus is on empowering educators to excel in their roles. Through tailored training programs and one-on-one coaching sessions, she equips our team with the tools and strategies needed to thrive in the dynamic landscape of early childhood education.
Rachel joined Riverside Training in May 2023 as an Early Years Learning & Development Coach.
Rachel has 13 years of experience working within the Early Years sector. She also spent 3 years supporting social workers in a business support role, attending child protection conferences within the Children’s Wellbeing Directorate.
In her spare time, Rachel enjoys visiting friends and family, playing netball, and watching sports – especially rugby!
Reema joined the Riverside team as a Learning & Development Coach in January 2024
Reema balances her responsibilities as a parent with her passion for staying active through walks and indulging in some leisure time with TV and Netflix.
With a background in training, Reema spent four years at a previous training provider, specializing in delivering Business administration, Team Leading, and Customer service courses. Before that, she ran her own baby massage business and accumulated over eight years of experience in retail management.
Reema is looking forward to making a difference with her learners and helping them to reach their full potential.
Samantha joined Riverside Training in July 2023.
She has been working within finance for a number of years and has completed her AAT through Riverside previously. She has a passion for continuously developing her knowledge and skills.
Samantha look forward to joining learners on their apprenticeship journey.
Sarah joined Riverside in April 2023 as a Learning and Development Coach for HR levels 3, 5, and 7.
Sarah’s experience over the last 15 years includes working in Senior Management HR roles, predominantly in the private sector but also in not-for-profit organisations too. She has worked in various sectors including centre, retail, warehouse and distribution, and most recently education. Sarah has been fortunate enough to work for two businesses where she has set up the whole team and set up the whole HR function, which has exposed her to almost every area of HR.
In her spare time, Sarah loves to be outdoors, on a weekend you can find her either in her garden pottering around and tending to her veggie patch, or out and about for walks in Yorkshire’s beautiful countryside. She took up paddleboarding in 2022 and loves to get out on her board in nice weather as much as she can with her two girls who enjoy falling in and swimming about as much as they do to paddle on the board!
Steve joined Riverside Training in March 2005 as a Learning & Development Coach. Steve delivers apprenticeship training in Management, Customer Service, and Business Administration as well as some bespoke commercial workshops.
Outside of work, Steve enjoys walking, reading biographies, and trying to keep up with his grandchildren.
Smaira joined Riverside Training in September 2022 as a Learning & Development Coach.
Smaira is originally from Yorkshire and moved to Worcestershire in 2019. After graduation, she joined energy giant British Gas as a Learning & Development Trainer/Associate. She loved the job and worked on projects across the UK and even Cape Town. She then went on to work within HR for Mitie Remote/The Shard for 9 months. Smaira now has a 3-year-old and felt it was the perfect time to come back into training.
In her spare time, Smaira loves to travel, spend time with family, socialise with friends, go on long walks, and binge on food and Netflix!
Sonya joined the Riverside team as a Learning & Development Coach in March 2023.
Sonya loves to read but her biggest passion is crochet.
She completed the Level 5 HR qualification through Riverside and for the past few years her main role was to support People Managers with their HR queries and coaching them on the correct way to deal with issues which, being in a call centre, was rather varied, and she would learn something new each and every day.
Zoe joined Riverside Training in April 2023 as a Functional Skills Tutor. She has a wealth of experience teaching Maths, English, and ICT Functional Skills. Zoe finds working in this sector very rewarding and is eager to support learners at Riverside Training to achieve their Functional Skills.
In addition, Zoe is a qualified Teacher who has taught a wide age range of curriculums from Early Years to Post 16 education. Zoe is also an experienced Pre-School Manager.
In her spare time, Zoe loves spending time with her family. She enjoys cycling along the country lanes around her home with her family and heading further afield on the bikes. She also enjoys baking with her daughter and spending time in her garden.
Business Support Team
Eloise joined Riverside Training in July 2016, working on the ESF Project as a Project Coordinator. When the project finished, Eloise joined the Business Support Team and currently works closely with her Learning & Development Coach buddies and processes personal information for our Apprentices.
Eloise also manages our Cognassist platform for our learners and Learning & Development Coaches.
In her spare time, Eloise enjoys making memories with her two sons and spending quality time with friends and family.
Charlotte joined Riverside Training in March 2023.
Charlotte is undertaking the Business Administration Level 3 Apprenticeship within the Business Support Team. She left school in May 2022 and decided college wasn’t for her and chose the apprenticeship route instead. Charlotte is looking forward to gaining the Business Administration qualification and is keen to progress.
Charlotte enjoys spending time with family and socialising with friends, and whilst being at Riverside has taken an interest in the daily yoga sessions.
Charlotte is also a big Man United fan!
Emma joined the Riverside Training in September 2022 as a Business Support Administrator.
Prior to and whilst at University Emma worked for a local SEND Charity as a Youth Worker. After completing her Primary Education degree in Bristol, she decided a career in the classroom wasn’t her desired pathway and wanted to pursue something different. She then discovered Riverside through her colleague Freya and found it combines both her interest in education and business.
In her spare time Emma enjoys reading, music and spending time with her family, especially looking after her two cousins who are 6 and 7. Emma also enjoys yoga and sometimes leads yoga sessions for colleagues in the office as a screen break.
Heidi joined Riverside Training in April 2024 as a Business Support Team Apprentice.
Heidi has just completed a year in college studying Travel & Tourism, Sociology and Health & Social Care. In her spare time, she enjoys meeting friends and going on walks as well as running with her sister!