Deanne Swarbrook

What do you do in the business?

I have been delivering vocational qualifications and apprenticeships for 12 years, although I’ve always found myself involved in training new staff in previous roles. This is where I have always thrived and where my passion for supporting others to achieve their best truly began. My role at CT Skills is Trainer Assessor and Safeguarding & Wellbeing Champion, and I am now in my ninth year with this wonderful organisation. Our core values of Pride, Respect, Accountability, Integrity, and Service Excellence are incredibly important to me, and I uphold them in every aspect of my work.

What’s your background?

I have held several roles within the organisation, including Functional Skills Specialist—supporting both internal staff and external partners—and Curriculum Lead for Business Administration and Customer Service. However, my passion has always brought me back to delivering high-quality teaching and learning to our fantastic learners, supporting them and their employers in achieving the very best outcomes. I love building strong, meaningful relationships and using my knowledge and experience to guide learners through qualifications in Business Administration, Customer Service, and HR. The delivery role never gets boring; the variety of learners, backgrounds, and skillsets makes it both exciting and incredibly rewarding.

My challenge, and my motivation, is to understand every learner and their role to the best of my ability, encouraging them to showcase their skills and talents to support their own development and contribute to their businesses. Looking ahead, my aim is to continue exploring how we can best support learners with a wide range of needs in an ever-changing environment, to mentor new staff, and to continue delivering the highest standard of service across the organisation.

I also love delivering Maths and English Functional Skills and enjoy nothing more than helping learners build confidence in these areas. Supporting them to grow beyond their vocational competence is incredibly fulfilling. I have strengthened my own core skills over time and am passionate about promoting the value of strong Maths and English abilities. I take great pride in helping learners overcome challenges and, hopefully, learn to enjoy these subjects as much as I do.

An additional part of my role is supporting staff and learners in a Safeguarding capacity, creating and promoting engaging resources on topics that impact our daily lives. My aim, alongside my colleagues, is to maintain a safe, supportive space where individuals can share concerns and receive guidance and help when they need it.

What’s the best piece of career advice you have received or given?

The best advice I’ve been given is to never be afraid to take on new opportunities — you never know where they might lead. Every opportunity is a chance to develop and grow.