Learning and development stories

The sky's the limit for Supergran
 'Supergran' Valerie Holmes has combined looking after two little granddaughters and a busy job with studying for and successfully passing her Level 2 Apprenticeship in Hospitality and Catering.

Valerie is a food service assistant at DETI Netherleigh, Northern Ireland, and studying for the qualification was the first time she'd thought about studying since she left school at 16. “My manager Pamela was the one who first suggested to me that I should do the apprenticeship programme,” said Valerie. “I hadn't done any study since I left school a long time ago and I was a wee bit worried about failing, I'll be honest, but she really gave me the encouragement and confidence to go for it. “My husband and family were also a great support and this has really given me the confidence to take my education further,” says Valerie. “I am now planning to go for the Level 3 Apprenticeship in Hospitality and Catering.”

Variety is the spice of life for Lindsay
Lindsay Rhys-Jones, Sodexo district support manager for Commercial Education, has turned her 27 years of Sodexo experience into the most interesting life experiences.

Lindsay is currently responsible for two Manchester primary schools and supports Commercial Education in the North-West on compliance, new openings, training and auditing. She joined Sodexo in 1984 on the trainee management scheme after leaving college with a diploma in hotel and catering management. Four years later, she was one of hundreds who applied for an 18-month management exchange programme in the United States, and was one of the two lucky employees selected. It was the start of a four-and-a-half-year stint in the USA, which included opening a commercial restaurant in Orlando from where she could see rockets being launched at Cape Canaveral. While there, she also won the Star team award with her team from the US Surgical Corporation in Connecticut. The prize was a week in London!

Returning to the UK in 1992, Lindsay was initially a district supervisor in the Lancashire and Merseyside division, then part of the set-up team for Sodexo's site-based accounting tool, and she also took a district manager secondment. Lindsay says of her career: “I am delighted I came to Sodexo. It has given me such diversity as a person, as well as from a career standpoint.”

Variety, exposure and career development in Sodexo Justice Services - Sally recounts
“After 25 successful years in the probation service, I joined Sodexo Justice Services as head of risk and offender management at HMP Forest Bank in 2008.  This local prison is one of the biggest in the country and holds 1,400 prisoners. I manage six different teams through a dozen direct reports and really enjoy the variety in my role which is all about managing and rehabilitating offenders to reduce the risk of re-offending, making sure that they can be released into the community safely once the time comes. 

“I've recently taken on additional responsibility for a new purpose-built, state of the art, 264 bed extension where I'm in charge of prisoners' induction when they first arrive, as well as those requiring specialist drug treatment and very high risk offenders. 

“New experience and insight is something of a theme for me at the moment as I'm also on one of Sodexo's six month career development programmes which is giving me the chance to find out about other areas of the Sodexo business, develop and enhance skills and knowledge such as commercial awareness. I've also been asked if I'd like to be a mentor and I'm involved in a project that's looking into new ways of delivering services - a good way to contribute to the ongoing success of the business and valuable exposure to colleagues I wouldn't usually come across on a daily basis.”

Sally Houghton, head of risk and offender management at HMP Forest Bank, Sodexo Justice Services.

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