Customer Feedback
‘After working with Mark Simpkins for the last 2 years, as the Director of Quality at Apprentify. I would recommend Mark to anyone looking for a refreshing, innovative, and continuous drive for quality in any education provided and striving for a successful inspection. Mark’s experience within this sector is to bring processes and policies to life and allow them to be owned across the business, helping to create teamwork and clear forms of communication to allow a business to grow. During our time we have carried out many mini inspections plus a full Ofsted inspection, and due to Mark’s clear planning, organisational skills, and passion, all these inspections were a success which lead to an outstanding grade that was awarded during Mark’s leadership I encourage all of you to reach out to Mark to improve the health of your provision, in which he will transfer his skills, knowledge, and drive for quality into any educational organisation. If your quality improvement plan is lacking sparkle and direction, Mark will support you in steering it in the right direction.’
Samantha Lunn
Head of Quality at Apprentify Limited
Customer Feedback
'I can certainly recommend Mark's work. He is very knowledgeable and one of the most enthusiastic, hard working individuals I have had the pleasure to mentor. He has walked the walk in terms of the delivery of outstanding apprenticeship provision, he understands what it takes to develop high-performing teams and to deliver exceptional learner experiences. He was a dream to coach as he takes his own personal development so seriously and is always eager to learn more. He understands that delivery of exceptional performance is all about valuing and motivating your workforce.'
Gillian Forrester
Leadership Coach and Mentor
Customer Feedback
'Mark is a leading authority on delivering world class safeguarding & quality standards in independent learning providers. He is particularly skilful at coaching colleagues and helping them to see the big picture as well as the practical actions that are required. He guided two different businesses in the Apprentify Group through back to back Ofsted inspections in 2022. Both were successful which is a testament to the impact that Mark had long before either company received their notification. His commitment to safeguarding & quality extends way beyond the 'letter of the law' and he has done a great job of constructively challenging the Apprentify Group to be the best we can be.'
Warwick Nash
Chair of Apprentify Group
Customer Feedback
‘I have known Mark for the past two years as an ex-Ofsted HMI (His Majesty’s Inspector) in my capacity as a Further Education and Skills consultant. In this role, I have worked working with him on a number of occasions as the Quality Director of a training provider expecting their first full Ofsted inspection. His hard work and analytical and conscientious approach was instrumental in the provider in question gaining ‘outstanding’ in all categories at this first inspection. He has very effective organisational skills and a well-developed understanding of Ofsted inspections and the crucial role of inspection nominee.’
Richard Moore
richard moore solutions
Customer Feedback
‘I worked with Mark in his role as Head of Quality. When Mark first joined the team he was given the job of developing a quality assurance system. He has created the most robust system I have ever seen. He is a good manager and works well with the team to ensure that KPIs are achieved in a timely manner. He is driven and takes you along with him as he has excellent leadership skills. He has a talent for problem-solving and is solution orientated. He is very good at seeing past an issue to produce a practical answer that everyone is able to work with and implement. He is hardworking and conscientious and will complete a task through to completion. He is also a nice guy and easy to work with and this makes it worth coming to work.’
Annette Barnes
Inner Solutions Life Coaching
Customer Feedback
‘Working with Mark on numerous projects has always been an enjoyable and productive experience. Mark brings value in his style of leadership and in particular the ability to initiate and drive forward new strategies within the business environment. Mark has excellent knowledge of the Apprenticeship industry and a keen interest in the latest learning technologies. Mark understands complex issues and is creative in his approach to solutions. It's always a pleasure to work with Mark and I always look forward to future projects.’
Allan Cottell
Director Outsource Strategies
Customer Feedback
‘I directly line managed Mark when I joined 3aaa and continued to do so for 18 months until he moved onto his next venture. Mark has a breadth of knowledge, skills and experience within the education sector particularly apprenticeships. His passion and commitment to quality is second to none and this became a driver for delivering multiple improvements in the organisation at a national level. Willingness to accommodate business needs and initiatives ensured not only his direct teams but the operational teams and clusters benefitted from direct training resulting in improved outcomes. Competencies in subjects including quality, Ofsted, new standards and Safeguarding are of particular value to which Mark can bring to any organisation.’
