Simon is the director of Perryman, Yeandle and Associates Ltd, a private TVET consultancy business, advising governments, business and the vocational education sector on skills systems and strategies. He has a particular interest in sector skills development, apprenticeship policy, employer engagement in skills and the link between skills and productivity.

He is in his final year as Chair of the Board of Governors at Barnsley College, one of the most successful in the UK. He is a member of the Association of Colleges AoC Board and was appointed by the UK Government, in 2018, to be a National Leader of Governance for the Further Education sector, mentoring FE college chairs and supporting college improvement.

Simon has a background in Government. He was previously Executive Director of the employer led UK Commission for Employment and Skills. Under his leadership, the Commission developed the Sector Skills Council SSC network, managed UK wide Standards development, funded industry led skills development projects and provided advice to Government on TVET policy.