Kent and Medway Careers Hub

Brad is a professional youth worker, coach and supervisor, a teacher of lifelong learning and trainer with 20 years’ experience of working young people at risk of becoming NEET. He has led teams throughout London and Kent to provide excellent outcomes for young people and has worked with care leavers, unaccompanied asylum seekers and young people in the youth offending system, to develop mindsets and skills aimed at identifying pathways to a brighter future.

Brad believes that everyone has the skills within them to be the best versions of themselves and strives to role model his own expectations in the people he works with.

Brad is incredibly proud to be the Strategic Careers Hub Lead and is looking forward to seeing the Kent and Medway Careers Hub grow and develop over time.

Working in Education sector since 2009, across both primary and secondary settings in the Medway area of Kent.

Supporting young people to succeed in life beyond education is something she is extremely passionate about. Sam believes that working with careers leaders and the wider school community to ensure every avenue and pathway is explored with young people is key to success.

Sam joined the Hub has an Enterprise Coordinator and spent many years bringing a variety of businesses into the Hub to talk to young people from the age of 4 to 18 years old, opening doors of opportunity to many young people in the county.

Since April 2022, Sam has taken on the role of Operational Hub Lead which focuses her energy on being a line manager for the Hub’s Enterprise Coordinators, along with continuing to support all educational settings that are in the Hub and ensuring every young person in Kent and Medway reaches their best next step.

Matt spent over 20 years working for an international bank across a range of finance, strategy and risk roles in the UK and Middle East, and on returning to the UK took a change in career direction (just to show it’s never too late) into coaching within the education sector.

Matt's role in the Kent and Medway Careers Hub is to support schools and colleges to provide exceptional careers guidance and advice by connecting young people, Careers Leaders and educators with local businesses and employers who can share their skills, experiences and insights about the world of work and training.

The employment landscape continues to change rapidly in terms of where we work, how we work and why we work. Matt wants to make sure that young people are able to navigate this landscape in a confident, informed and aspirational way.

Louise has worked in the education sector since 2012 and has been Level 7 qualified in Careers Management since 2016.

Louise has created, facilitated and delivered careers activities and careers advice to students across a diverse sector, supporting schools, colleges, PRUs and secure education settings to deliver extensive CEIAG.

Louise has a strong belief that young people who are encouraged to understand their own unique set of skills, qualities and interests and to continually reflect on these to support self-discovery and aspirations, will provide a diverse and sustainable workforce for our future.

Louise is therefore passionate about providing all young people with the tools, support and guidance during their schooling years to enable them to fulfil their potential.

The majority of Vickie's career has been spent working with the vulnerable cohort within education, both in mainstream secondary education and as part of the Youth Justice and prison estate. Vickie strongly believes in inspiring all young people to develop their future aspirations.

Passionate about motivating, encouraging ownership, independent choice, and improving life chances, Vickie understands the importance of careers education. Early exposure to careers programmes and industry information has proven to motivate and inspire young people, and allow them to develop their knowledge, understanding and skill set in preparation for the world of work.

With commitment and passion, Vickie will be supporting Careers Leaders and Enterprise Advisers in Kent to ensure the best possible outcomes for their young people.

David has worked in the education sector for over six years in both a strategic and operational capacity.

Before becoming an Enterprise Coordinator, he spent five years as a level 5 qualified coach working for a national charity supporting young people to overcome the barriers preventing them from successfully progressing from education into employment.

Prior to this, David practised as a qualified Social Worker within the youth offending service before becoming a Senior Early Help worker with a caseload of young people and families.

David is passionate about making a difference in the lives of young people in Kent by equipping those within schools, further education and communities with the necessary tools to ensure young people experience innovative and progressive careers education and are therefore empowered to make their best next step.

Having been a Youth Coach and Schools Adviser for the Department of Work and Pensions, Charlie is passionate about young people being supported to raise their aspirations, fulfil their full potential and to be happy and successful in life.

Since leaving school, Charlie has journeyed through a career in dancing, performing and teaching which has taken her around the world, finally completing a BA Hons Degree in Professional Practice, Arts and the Creative Industries as a mature student. This journey has taught her that no matter what path you are on, with the right skills, motivation and perseverance any future is possible.

Being an Enterprise Coordinator enables Charlie to support the delivery of careers education, information, advice and guidance (CIAG) in schools and colleges across West Kent, ensuring young people reach their best next steps.

Having previously worked in a college as part of the Business Development team, Izzy got a taste for working with young people and helping them seamlessly transition into their next steps.

Izzy enjoys her rewarding role and wants to use her knowledge and skills to support more schools and colleges with career education. She's passionate because she didn't have this support in school and her current job in North Kent lets her ensure students get the best career education, making them confident about their next steps.

Izzy's role allows her to engage with many careers leaders across North Kent which helps further develop my own knowledge and skills to pass onto others. She loves that her role not only supports students but also supports careers leaders, SLT members, parents/carers and many more. Izzy hopes to continue to develop these relationships and help students find their best next steps.