Our ‘Meet the Team’ series puts the spotlight on NOCN Group's talented Business Development Managers who work with Colleges, training providers and employers across the UK and internationally to enable them to benefit from the future-fit skills solutions we offer.

They are experts in our specialist areas where skills advancement is needed most: preparation for life & work; construction & the built environment; engineering, manufacturing & the green economy; health & social care; and education & management.

We sat down with our Business Development Manager in the North West, Jeanine Reed, who brings the perfect combination of sales and Further Education sector expertise to her role. She has first-hand experience of the power of upskilling and gaining new qualifications and a focus on building collaborative customer and industry relationships. She’s also become a specialist in our Green Skills offering which is in high demand.

Jeanine, tell us about your role at NOCN Group - what does a typical day look like?

It feels like a cliché answer but every day genuinely is different. In my role as Business Development Manager covering the North West region, I spend my time visiting College and training provider customers, attending networking and industry events and catching up on admin and with the rest of the team in the office or working from home.

I’m almost at the end of my first full year as part of the NOCN Group team, having joined in January 2024 from a 15-year background in education. I have worked for both Independent Training Providers and Colleges as an Assessor, including Apprenticeship End Point Assessment; a skills solution I now offer, and I bring that experience to my job every day.

I’ve also worked across a number of sectors including construction which really helps when it comes to demonstrating our expertise as one of the construction sector's biggest Awarding and Assessment Organisation in the UK and internationally, to our customers.

Green Skills is an area of specialism for you personally and NOCN Group as a whole. What's new/important when it comes to education and skills for the journey towards Net Zero and how does NOCN Group support?

This is a huge area of focus for us as an organisation that works closely with all sectors, manufacturing regulators, industry bodies, employers, Colleges and training providers to create skills solutions designed to enable the workforce of the future to meet ever-evolving productivity and sustainability demands. This includes re-skilling people in new trades like energy efficiency, insulation, retrofit and solar to support the transition to a green economy.

We are facing a huge skills shortage when it comes to green skills and that’s why we offer a variety of adaptable, modular units to support existing qualifications, apprenticeships and courses to embed them into the existing workforce.

NOCN Group prides itself on the fact that, as an international skills charity, we have the autonomy to focus on skills solutions that will make the biggest difference to economic and social development. Our qualifications and courses are carefully crafted to instil not only theoretical understanding but also the practical competencies required to do the important trades needed now and in the future.

Why do you think the customers you work with in your region choose NOCN Group?

I think they appreciate mine and the team’s extensive education sector experience and the fact that we understand the challenges they face, as I have literally been in their shoes! I understand their processes, the red tape and hoops they have to jump through so I can directly relate and ensure that our offer is supportive and aligned.

A key part of my role involves networking and making sure I’m on top of the education and skills agenda on the ground in the region that I cover, so I can bring this knowledge back to our customers to inform their approach from a fresh perspective. We have recently joined the Greater Manchester Learning Providers Network (GMLPN). The organisation exists to achieve an ever-closer alignment between the needs of employers, individuals, communities, and the suppliers of skills. Being part of regional networks like this is really important to us to ensure that we have both that national and ‘on the ground’ level view.

In the North West specifically we are very well known for being construction sector specialists so a key part of my role is to ensure that new and existing customers understand that NOCN Group also specialises in the advancement of skills in other key areas where we believe they are needed most, including Health & Social Care, Education and Management, Preparation for Life and Work and, of course, Engineering, Manufacturing and the Green Economy.

What challenges do those customers face and how do you support them to overcome?

The whole area of ‘green skills’ is fast emerging and we understand that there might be scepticism borne out of past Government schemes, which may lead to hesitancy when it comes to early adoption. We are in a really strong position to support with this as a market leader in the provision of green skills that has developed specialist Qualifications, Assured Courses and Short Online Courses that equip learners with essential skills for sustainable construction, energy efficiency, and effective environmental management.

Our Short Online Course in ‘Integrating Sustainability in Education’ is a fantastic example of where we are addressing this head on and providing direct, quick and bitesize CPD support, with a focus on enhancing the understanding of sustainability and its integration into education for educators, teaching assistants, curriculum planners - basically anyone working in an education setting.

Our strategic relationship with de-carbonisation specialist and renewable training provider Quantum Group is also a great example of where we are directly addressing the skills gap. The partnership aims to revolutionise the training landscape for the built environment, focusing on sustainable, low-carbon technologies and retrofit skills. As we transition towards a greener economy, the demand for skilled professionals in sustainable construction and energy-efficient technologies is rapidly increasing. Together with Quantum we are ready to meet this demand by offering regulated courses that will equip the workforce with the necessary expertise to drive the UK’s Net Zero ambitions.

Finally – why do you feel that you are a good fit for NOCN Group and its offer?

I’ve had a varied career history starting with sales and moving into education and skills and during my 15 years working within the FE sector I gained a number of qualifications and skills to work as an assessor, across a number of sectors. This embodies everything that NOCN Group represents when it comes to up-skilling throughout your working life and the benefits that brings. I am genuinely passionate about the power of gaining qualifications and, as an organisation that offers over 600 of them, we really do have something for everyone at whatever stage of life or career journey they are at. I find that really exciting as an advocate for supporting others to grow through skills development. Working for a truly independent, charitable organisation that seeks to influence policy and champion lifelong, vocational learning really is a perfect fit for me!