Mikaela Collins
Mikaela started at WBTC in 2000 and after a 5 year break working for a National Training Provider, Mikaela returned to WBTC in 2012 as Director of Training. Mikaela leads WBTC’s Quality and improvements throughout the business. She is our Ofsted Nominee and has taken WBTC through 3 inspections in this role. Mikaela manages all of our partnership arrangements, including WBTC Subcontractors where she ensures the quality of education and support to learners is as good as or better than WBTC. Mikaela strongly believes that our learners are at the heart of WBTC and ensures that all strategic plans and discussions retain that ethos. Mikaela has spent 4 years as a Governor for a new Training Provider in the plumbing sector, leading on quality, identifying improvements and data oversight and has supported them through an Ofsted Monitoring Visit and full Ofsted Inspection in June 2022. Mikaela works part-time at WBTC and most of her free time is spent with her husband, daughter and Buddy, their Cockapoo with many walks in the New Forest close to their home.
Hazel Thomas (Training Consultant) – Business and Education
Hazel is a dedicated and passionate trainer and coach who has been in the apprenticeship sector for 4 years since leaving the corporate world. Having spent many years completing NVQ’s alongside working, Hazel understands the realities of juggling working and learning; so is in the perfect position to support apprentices to achieve and thrive. Hazel lives in Swindon with her two young children and husband. When not eating biscuits, Hazel enjoys thinking up new messy and outdoors play activities for her children, attending comedy nights and dreaming of her next mountain summit.
Natalie Elliott
I have been working in education for over 20 years. I currently manage our Great Start Study programme supporting 16-18 learners work towards their goals and make their next steps. I also manage our adult Functional Skills maths and English programme. It is fantastic to see all ages achieve their goals and move forward with their careers.
Most of my weekends are spent on the football field watching my young son play football and my husband assist with the coaching.
Our family are passionate about football, we are a mixture of predominately Spurs fans with an Arsenal intruder in the mix. You can imagine derby day in our household. COYS!
Andrea Wood (Senior Training Consultant)
Having worked in the sector for 21 years and 15 of those with WBTC, Andrea has many years of experience supporting Apprentices. She is committed to supporting and developing people and transforming lives. Andrea feels there is no bigger buzz than seeing a learner achieve their Apprenticeship and how they grow in their skills from the start to the end of their Apprenticeship journey. Andrea lives in Reading, originally from a small village in Gloucestershire and spending 6 years of her childhood growing up in Belgium. She lives with her husband and two school aged children, and her loyal companion for 15 years, Smarty the cat. Her spare time is spent being with her family.
Rachel Eaves
Rachel has worked in the recruitment sector around West Berkshire for over 25 years, the last 12+ years as a Learner and Employer engagement officer at WBTC. Rachel thrives on seeing the positive outcomes when you bring together a keen, enthusiastic young person starting out in their career or a current employee eager to progress through upskilling on an apprenticeship with a supportive Employer who understands the benefits and rewards of investing in training though an apprenticeship. Rachel lives locally and spends spare time with family and friends, dog walking or with her head in a book or Sudoku.
Lesley Sully
Lesley has been at WBTC for three and a half years. My main role is to train and support a number of apprenticeship programmes: Team Leader, Operational Manager and Learning Mentor. My background is in Human Resources and Learning & Development, working in both the public and private sectors over the last thirty years. I am married to an engineer who runs his own manufacturing business and we have two daughters, one aged 19 who is at university and the other is 17, in her last year of sixth form.
