Wendy, our Finance Director (and not at all boring)

Still smiling....even after paying the wages!

Working at The Training Partnership is very rewarding in lots of ways and you’ll usually find everyone here at TTPL are a cheerful bunch, but there’s an extra spring in their step today because it’s payday! [editors note: WOOHOOOO]  So as Finance Director paying the wages was one of my most important tasks this week! [oh yes!]  As it’s payday I’m meeting an old colleague from my banking days for a real English ‘pub lunch’ at the Devon Dumpling in Shiphay (sorry Mitch – I’m not implying you’re old . . . .) 

The student meeting yesterday was a great success – around 80 students from across Europe joined together in a friendly but competitive atmosphere at AMF Bowling.

The main reason for the weekly meeting is ensuring our students are happy and getting the most from their experience so it’s always great to go along and see what is happening.  Our Student Support Officer, Sam (King of Bowling) Swann has been with us a month already and is making a great impact

Well done Ladies...have a safe trip home.

 ‘It's always "wunderbar" to get to know someone whose personality actually matches so much with what they are doing jobwise’, 

He was kept busy running around organising lanes and chatting to everyone but unfortunately his self-proclaimed title has already been stolen by our very own Lorenzo  . . . .

I was really please to present Certificates of Achievement to our wonderful ladies from Germany who have been here for just 2 weeks on a Mobility for Professionals in Vocational Education and Training.  They have been learning about the very different ways Education is provided in an ‘inclusive’ manner here in the UK and despite Nadine’s driving, the trips to Dame Hannah’s and the Husbandry school were most enjoyable.

Earlier in the week along with Nadine and Lorenzo we met up with Olly and Charlie from Optix Solutions who are  busy designing a brand new website for TTPL – it’s very exciting and we’re really happy to be working with them.  Just to keep us on the right tracks Dan from Astley Media came along too.  It’s early days yet, so watch this space for our launch in the new year.

Next week is half term for our local schools, so I’ll be splitting my time between the office and home.  My 2 boys have made plans and following last weekends trip to PaigntonZoo we’re off to the Model Village on the final leg of the Great Gorillas, the newly reopened Plainmoor swimming pool and a trip to the ‘Golden M’ is promised too!  Plus I’ve got to squeeze in some study time for my ‘CIMA’ exam coming up next month. Wish me luck!

Have a great weekend everyone

Wendy xx

Jackie Bufton - our Educational Expert!

We have, for many years, had the benefit of an educational consultant who has developed may of our programmes and added huge value to the experience our Students and Trainees have enjoyed... here is an opportunity to find out what makes our Jackie tick :0)
I have worked in Education and Training for over 25 years and have advanced experience of delivery, assessment and quality assurance of learning.  I also conduct quality assurance work for three different UK Awarding Organisations.  In addition to this I still do what I love and that is deliver learning to groups of people on a face to face basis, but also remotely via the Internet.    The remote work I do is generally using a Moodle platform, which I not only use as a trainer to support students, but also develop for  organisations such as the Training Partnership Ltd.   My face to face delivery covers a whole selection of interesting subjects that range from: Business and IT, English and Culture, Environment and Art/Craft.  And interestingly sometimes I get to mix the subjects, so for example IT and the Environment when teaching people how to use GPS/GIS systems, or Environment and Art/Craft with the outside being used as the subject for the Art/Craft.  One of my favourite craft subjects is working with glass, and I have a studio where I work with stained, fused or kiln formed glass. 

In my spare time I like to go walking, which I do with my little dog Tansy, or go out and about in my old VW camper van.  When I am out in the countryside I sometimes incorporate foraging or Geocaching – both are great fun!

Meet the Team...a day in the life of Gemma Davey

Hi everyone,

Well firstly let me introduce myself…My name is Gemma and I’m the Student Co-ordinator here at The Training Partnership.

This morning was a particularly busy one! We had our monthly staff meeting first thing, followed by three training sessions; Graduate Teacher training for our Spanish Teachers, and Conversational English for our groups from Kulturlife and MTU in Germany. Debbie (Programme Manager) and I make sure everything is well organised before the sessions start with the help of Lorenzo, our Office Administrator, and our new Student Support Officer, Sam, who meets and greets the trainees as they arrive. We also held a ‘Departure Meeting’ today for our trainees from MTU to present their certificates and say goodbye and good luck to them all!

In between the various meetings my daily tasks include co-ordinating arrivals and departures, arranging training and travel passes, dealing with enquiries from trainees, administration tasks and supporting Debbie (Programme Manager) with the organisation of our Programmes. The great thing about my role is that I get to work closely with all members of the TTPL team as well as dealing with a variety of people outside of the office, from trainees and Partners to local businesses and host families.

I also supervise our trainees working with us in the office by showing them the ropes when they first arrive and giving them plenty of tasks to ensure they have a worthwhile work experience with us. We love having trainees in our office; it creates a great working atmosphere. But it’s not always a case of us training them - we learn a lot from them too! They teach us so much about their own cultures and customs which I find fascinating. Sadly we do often have to say “goodbye” as trainees come and go throughout the year, and today we had to say farewell to Ramona from WMF in Germany. She’s been so lovely to work with and such a hard worker - we’ll all miss her!