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The Progress Group

The Progress Group scoop two accolades in Edge Hill University’s NW SME Growth and Innovation Awards 2022

The Progress Group (TPG) were delighted to win two awards at Edge Hill University’s recent NW SME Growth and Innovation Awards 2022. The prestigious awards, which were scored independently and assessed against achievements within a specific context to each business, celebrated the growth and innovation successes of businesses across the North West.

The Progress Group were Highly Commended in the Growth Strategy category which recognised SMEs who have grown through the implementation of a highly effective business strategy. In addition, the Group also won the Outstanding Achievement Award which is given to a shortlisted company who the judges felt had demonstrated an outstanding level of commitment to embrace their innovation by changing culture and practice to progress themselves, their organisation, their staff, and their community.

The Progress Group has been working with Edge Hill University’s Productivity & Innovation Centre since 2021. During this time, they have been supported to complete the Innovation Sprint Programme with the specific desire of creating a multi-disciplinary software ecosystem to nurture a young person’s potential through a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). This new delivery method enables Progress Schools to deliver a learner centric virtual learning solution, meaning even the hardest to reach young people can access an Alternative Education provision.

The project will now move in to a second phase of development which aims to use artificial intelligence to help shape personalised learning and delivery.

SME Awards Night

Progress Group CEO Jayne Worthington said: “We are elated and overjoyed with our success at the NW SME Growth and Innovation Awards. Getting a Highly Commended Award in our category for Growth Strategy was amazing. To be recognised for Outstanding Achievement on the night was an absolute shock – but one we are very proud of.

“We would like to say a big thank you to the Edge Hill University team who worked with us. You have been fantastic, patient and generous with your time, and guidance on this ongoing journey.”

The awards required The Progress Group to demonstrate impact and success in product and service innovation, leadership, job and skills creation and adoption of new technology. They were the only business to win two awards on the evening.

Associate Director of SME PIC Professor Simon Bolton said: “The awards are a great opportunity for the SMEs that we have worked with to demonstrate their business success and showcase the impact. The work we do with businesses is pivotal to the development of highly-skilled job opportunities for our students and supporting academic knowledge exchange. Well done to all the shortlisted SMEs and winners.”

For more information on the work of The Progress Group please visit: theprogress-group.co.uk

The Progress Group

Nurturing Home-grown talent: Ryan Lam’s Story

After graduating with a degree in Aerospace Engineering, Ryan Lam decided he wanted a career change. The adverse economic climate affected the aerospace industry and left Ryan with limited career options.

Ryan had a keen interest in Data Analytics and felt this was an area where he would like to pursue a career.

In April 2021, Ryan joined The Progress Group (TPG) under the Government’s Kickstart Scheme. The Scheme provided funding to employers to create jobs for 16- to 24-year-olds on Universal Credit.

Ryan was employed on a six-month placement as a Data Analyst in the marketing department, which saw him primarily working on market research and data analysis.

He quickly became a valued team member, providing valuable contributions to business planning and team activity One of his greatest achievements during this time was presenting the key findings of one of his reports to the senor leadership team within one of our subsidiaries, an activity that significantly enhanced their business planning for the forthcoming year. Ryan used this opportunity with the business to hone his data analysis and interpretation skills, whilst also developing his knowledge of IT systems such as PowerBI.

Ryan’s meticulous attention to detail, hard work and genuine passion for the role was quickly recognised, and when a role came up for a permanent Data Analyst, Ryan was quick to throw his hat in the ring.

Ryan said: “During my transition into my permanent role, I needed to get up-to-speed quickly on new systems and best practices.

“Having not strictly come from an IT background, I knew that there were gaps in my knowledge but through collaborations with industry professionals and nurturing from my manager, I was supported to plug these knowledge gaps.

“I was given continuous support and coaching, which helped guide me in the right direction. I received constructive criticism, which helped me identify areas for improvement and make changes to enhance my work.”

Ryan highlighted how his motivation and perseverance were also key to his success. He said: “It takes some self-motivation and perseverance to proactively learn new skills and handle new technical projects.”

In his current role, Ryan is responsible for developing PowerBI tools and dashboards, providing operational dashboards to streamline workflow, and ad-hoc data analytic duties to support business decision-making.

Ryan praised TPG for fostering a culturally inclusive workplace where he feels appreciated morally and professionally. He also highlighted how he felt supported to develop professionally.

He said: “I have been given many valuable opportunities and exposure to grow in the field of data analytics. Most of my CPD came in the form of on-the-job training and projects. There was also one occasion when I worked with an external consultancy agency, which helped me gain new knowledge and technical skills.”

Despite only being at the onset of his professional career, Ryan has ambitions to further develop his skills in the data analytics field. Ryan said: “I would love to become a senior data analyst or engineer in the coming five years.”

When asked what his favourite part of the job is, Ryan said: “For me, my job satisfaction comes from feedback from my colleagues. My work can save colleagues hours of admin time and allows them to focus more on the value-adding elements of the business, which is fantastic.

“I also love the flexibility of the role. I was recently able to travel home to Hong Kong for a much-needed reunion with my family and friends while still being able to work.

“The Group is like a big family, and you are supported professionally and personally.”

The Progress Group is a group of subsidiaries providing education and training to 11 – 65-year-olds. The Group comprises six subsidiaries, each supporting different demographics.

The Group’s mission of changing lives through the power of education is echoed through the workforce, as they support their colleagues to excel in their careers.

Business Growth · Employee appointment · The Progress Group

The Progress Group Announce Two Senior Appointments to Accelerate Business Growth

Liverpool-headquartered training and education specialists, The Progress Group, have announced two senior appointments to accelerate business growth.

The Progress Group comprises six subsidiaries, each serving different industries and demographics. Collectively the Group supports individuals aged 11 to 65 to access high-quality training and education.

Among the six subsidiaries are Progress Schools and Progress Careers which work within the 11 – 16 age bracket.

Progress Schools is a national alternative education provider with 14 independent secondary schools throughout England. Progress Careers operates a national Careers Education, Information, Advice, and Guidance (CEIAG) service to schools and educational institutions.

Earlier this week, the Group announced the appointment of Charlotte Barton as Managing Director of Progress Schools and Paula Thompson as Managing Director of Progress Careers.

Both Charlotte and Paula previously held the role of ‘Interim Managing Director’ before the announcement. Each comes with a wealth of experience in their respective areas and is well-equipped to support the Group’s impressive expansion plans and ensure high quality service.

The strategic move comes as the Group begin to double down on its ambitious growth plans. Due to demand, the plans see Progress Schools grow its national footprint in the sector and open several new alternative provision schools. Significant investment has been made to ensure the success of the plans.

Group CEO, Jayne Worthington, explained how training and education are integral to the UK economy. She said: “The current climate has highlighted the vital role training and education play in our society’s social and economic stability. Skills development, an agile behaviour set and critical thinking underpins the country’s economy and is a determining factor for the UK’s workforce resilience.

“As a group of training and education specialists, we are wholeheartedly committed to providing our learners with opportunities that enhance their life trajectories and ultimately enable them to make their own life choices.”

Charlotte and Paula’s appointments come during a pivotal transitional period for the Group as they begin to explore new markets and make moves to become a household name in the training and education sector.

Jayne said: “We have huge plans at the Group, but at the forefront of those plans is our people. Our colleagues are the driving force behind our success, and I am confident that Charlotte and Paula will excel in their roles and support us in levelling-up our services to those who need them most.”

Charlotte and Paula’s appointments now bring the Group’s total of women in senior leadership positions to five.

Notes to editors:

The Progress Group comprises six subsidiaries operating across the UK, including Complete Skills Solutions, Complete Training Solutions, Progress Schools, Progress Careers, Grey Matter Learning, and Prepare to Achieve. Each business serves a different industry and demographic and supports individuals aged 11 to 65 to access high-quality training and education.

Employee appointment · Grey Matter Learning · The Progress Group

Grey Matter Learning appoint new Managing Director

Grey Matter Learning, a leading social care training provider, has recently appointed Phil Hitchcox as its new Managing Director. The appointment will see Phil lead the organisation’s strategic development.

Phil, who joined the business in 2022, has ambitions to make Grey Matter Learning (GML) the social care training provider of choice across the UK. Before this role, Phil spent some time working for one of the largest social care companies, CareTech Group, where he supported attracting and developing a 12,000 strong workforce in over 600 care settings.

Phil joins the business with a wealth of experience across the education sector, with almost 13 years’ experience under his belt. During this time, his varying roles mostly centred around supporting employers to develop their workforces through work-based learning and apprenticeships.

In the early stages of his career, Phil spent some time working for the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), where he helped large employers to implement and develop apprenticeship programmes to develop the skills of their people.

Talking about his appointment, Phil said;

“I am thrilled to be joining GML at such a pivotal moment for the business. GML offers the social care industry something truly unique, inspiring and impactful. The learning that they provide makes a real difference in the industry.

“My ambition is to help more care organisations benefit from the learning GML can offer – as well as enhance the experience and value we offer existing customers.”

Phil went on to discuss how he also plans to develop the current learning programmes further and explore how those programmes can be delivered. Currently, GML’s course delivery is prominently online, with some face-to-face courses available.

“GML immediately stood out as an impressive and purposeful business, that makes a difference in people’s lives every day. Above all else, it has a really strong team of people who not only understand social care and what our customers want, they are passionate about the care industry and making a real difference.” Phil said.

Speaking on Phil’s appointment, The Progress Group CEO, Jayne Worthington said;

“As a Group, we are committed to fostering a leadership team that can deliver on our vision and mission statement to change lives through the power of education and training. Phil’s experience coupled with his passion for championing change makes him the perfect fit for our business.

“Since GML joined the Group 12-months ago, we have seen some transformative changes across the business, as we bolstered operations to support even more care providers with their training needs.

“The social care sector landscape is rapidly changing as providers begin to navigate a new normal in a post-COVID-19 world. But the importance of education and training for social care professionals remains unchanged. Phil’s appointment will see GML drive forward and support even more providers to deliver high-quality, effective training to their care staff.”

Grey Matter Learning is part of a larger group of training and education specialists – The Progress Group. Throughout the UK, The Progress Group’s subsidiaries use high-quality training and education opportunities to drive forward social mobility. Across the group, services are available to individuals aged 11 to 60.

The Progress Group

Complete Skills Solutions appoints Terry Collier and Kate Carling to two new director positions

Adult Education Training provider Complete Skills Solutions have appointed Terry Collier as Operations Director and Kate Carling as Quality Director.

Terry has worked for the last 18 years in the Further Education sector, with an impressive 12 years in leadership roles. Terry started his career in Further Education at Hopwood Hall College where he secured a position as Electrical Installation Lecturer, moving on to management and directorate roles. He left to join the Growth Company in 2017 where he managed several funding streams including study programmes for adults, apprenticeships and commercial training. After a short stint with B2W group, he joined Complete Skills Solutions in the capacity of Operations Director.

Talking of his experience, Terry said:
“I am emotionally connected to supporting the Workforce Development Division in providing a dependable, flexible offer to achieve our purpose of changing lives through the power of education.”

After working at a senior management level in a range of Independent Training Providers in both quality and operational roles, Kate joins the Workforce Development Division of The Progress Group as Quality Director.

Kate brings over 20 years of experience as a Qualified Assessor, Lead Internal Verifier, External Verifier, and within the management of operations and the quality of provision. Kate has extensive experience in developing and managing multiple sector delivery including study programmes, traineeships, apprenticeships, and adult education.

Kate is committed to providing workforce development solutions that support local and national skills priorities which lead to positive outcomes.

Speaking of her appointment, Kate said:
“I am passionate about providing individuals with alternative routes into education and employment by creating high-quality sector-specific training pathways that provide both career and education progression opportunities.”

Ian Green, Managing Director of the Workforce Development Division within The Progress Group said: “I am so pleased to welcome Terry and Kate into our business. Both have a huge amount of experience in the education sector and have a proven track record of success in their previous posts. I know both Kate and Terry will have a positive impact within the business which will ultimately impact positively on all our learners. I am excited to see this and to see how they both integrate across the business.”

The Progress Group

Social Impact Report: The Progress Group generated £21.4m of Social Value

The Progress Group, the education and training specialist driving forward social mobility, has generated £21,481,700 of social value in two years.

The Group commissioned consultancy The Connectives to complete a full impact analysis of operations and activities during 2019-2021, in order to identify the value the Group is delivering to society as a whole.

The findings show the Progress Group’s subsidiaries – Progress Schools, Progress Careers, Innovative Alliance, Complete Training Solutions and Prepare to Achieve – have collectively produced more than £20m of social value during a time characterised by the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Social value is the full net value an organisation provides to society, including how it supports the local economy, how it can provide other benefits and present opportunities for disadvantaged groups.

The Progress Group’s mission is to leave societies and communities in a better situation than when they found them and for every £1 The Progress Group has invested into the delivery of services, £1.44 of social value has been generated during 2019-2021.

The Social Audit Network process of social accounting was undertaken as a method of social impact assessment and qualitative and quantitative data collection process was carried out in order to assess whether the Group and its subsidiaries have had an impact on the lives of learners, customers and staff.

Such data was gathered from 1-2-1 interviews, case studies and subsidiary performance reports. The report also utilises Social Return on Investment methodology introducing financial proxies to enumerate the social value derived from the subsidiaries’ activity.

Despite the global pandemic, The Progress Group has still managed to make huge positive social and economic impact through the provision of a range of education and employment interventions.

The Progress Group has supported cost savings to the public purse and value for money by reducing the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training and progressing them into one of these opportunities.

Young people who were previously not attending mainstream schooling to complete their formal education have also been aided while the Progress Group has also helped people access training and qualifications to secure employment in emerging ‘Green’ industries.

Jayne Worthington, CEO of the Progress Group said, “The social value generated and the Progress Group’s impact on society means students have been able to complete their formal education and move to the next stage of their life with renewed confidence.

“They have felt valued and respected by their schools as importantly their unique contributions have been recognised and appreciated, building self-confidence and resilience to be citizens of the future.”

The Group has generated £11,300,016 of savings to the public purse through the delivery of its activities, ensuring it is a net contributor to the local economy – providing jobs, developing the local workforce and creating learning environments in which young people are valued and can thrive.

Worthington added, “The Group has also grown a workforce of technical specialists, qualified to meet the needs of local, national and international employers, increased general skill levels and employability in the Liverpool City Region (LCR). population, directly addressing local skills gaps in the workforce and also increased local wealth as a result of increased employment, and consequent local spend positively contributing to the economy of the LCR.”

The Progress Group

US Board of Directors Visit: Marvin Smith

Complete Training Solutions Leadership Team with Marvin Smith

This week, The Progress Group has been joined by the company’s Non-Executive Director, Marvin Smith Jr, CPA.

Marvin flew over from the US this weekend where he spent time getting to know the city of Liverpool, home of The Progress Group HQ. To add to the traditional British experience and enable Marvin an authentic taster of the UK, he was joined by members of the Progress team to watch the highly anticipated Liverpool vs Manchester United game at Old Trafford Stadium on Sunday.

Throughout this week, Marvin has had the chance to meet with staff from TPG to discuss the different areas of the business in which they work. As the group has ownership of 6 businesses; Progress Schools, Progress Careers, Complete Training Solutions, Innovative Alliance, Grey Matter Learning and Prepare to Achieve, there has certainly been a large ground to cover.

Marvin was also present for Progress Education’s event at the Houses of Parliament this week, a huge occasion that aimed to address to lack of regulation in alternative provision schools across the country.

Ian Green, MD of the Workforce Development Division of TPG said: “It has been a pleasure to meet with Marvin this week and allow him to witness first hand all of the great work that takes place within my area of The Progress Group. The company is going through a very exciting period, full of growth and development and I am very keen to showcase this to one of our directors.

“I wanted to provide Marvin an opportunity to see our amazing facilities and also to meet some of the Managers from within my team. Collectively we are all very passionate about the businesses and I know this came through in the meetings we held with Marvin.”

Marvin brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to TPG. As a certified public accountant, he is employed by Noble Consulting as a Vice President. Alongside this, Marvin is also a board member and Treasurer of a non-profit organization that aims to support underprivileged women afford cancer treatment.

On behalf of all of the staff at TPG, we wish Marvin a warm welcome to the UK.

The Progress Group (TPG), has announced The Standing Tall Foundation as its nominated charity of the year.

CareersInc · Charitable Giving · Complete Training Solutions · Corporate Social Responsibility · Giving back · Grey Matter Learning · Innovative Alliance · Prepare to Achieve · Progress Schools · The Progress Group

The Progress Group names The Standing Tall Foundation as its charity of the year

Leading education and training specialists, The Progress Group (TPG), has announced The Standing Tall Foundation as its nominated charity of the year. The news will see the two organisations bring together their combined knowledge to work simultaneously to drive forward social mobility across the UK.

It is no surprise that the Foundation was named TPG’s charity of the year. Both organisations work to provide education, training and support to individuals of all ages, helping them to secure positive outcomes whilst having a long-term impact on their lives.

The Standing Tall Foundation was founded in 2020, with a clear aim of supporting the health and wellbeing of individuals of all ages and backgrounds by giving them to access things such as educational programmes, mental health services, and drug and alcohol abuse rehabilitation support. The Foundation also works closely with ex-military personnel, supporting them to reintegrate back in to communities after serving in the armed forces.

The partnership has already got off to a storming success, with Complete Training Solution’s recently offering a number of sponsored placements for ex-military on one of their newest courses, Basic Safety Training, helping them to re-skill in order to peruse an alternative career after leaving the military.

Speaking on the partnership, The Progress Group’s CEO, Jayne Worthington, said;

‘’I am thrilled that The Standing Tall Foundation was voted as our charity of the year! At The Progress Group, we are committed to delivering on our promise to drive forward social mobility and provide individuals with a high-quality training and education, a mission shared by the Foundation.’

‘’We are always looking for new ways to build strong partnerships in the communities where we operate, just like the Foundation. Our shared values and commitment to raising aspirations and helping individuals to overcome barriers will undoubtedly help us have a positive impact on the lives of countless individuals over the coming year and beyond.’

‘’I am looking forward to working closely with the Foundation in the coming months to see how we can support each other and achieve our mission together.’’

John Tabern, CEO of The Standing Tall Foundation said:

“To use, forging long-term relationships with organisations such as The Progress Group are priceless, as for us to be able to achieve our vision, we need to work collaboratively with like minded organisations to share best practice and help connect our users to the services and support the need, either directly via the Foundation or via third parties.

“That’s one reason why we are so excited to be name as The Progress Group’s charity of the year, as their approach to this partnership goes beyond fundraising or donations to also include opportunities to share knowledge, skills and connections, for the benefits of our users and you can’t put a price on that.”

The Progress Group is a group of specialist education and training providers, supporting individuals from the age of 11 to 65. Made up of two divisions, the Group subsidiaries serve a wealth of industries from Renewable Energy to Health and Social Care to Alternative Education. As a collective, the Group has supported thousands of individuals to access high-quality and effective education and training that has helped them progress into positive destinations.