News Story
Dec 2018 / News
Wales’ leading training provider, ACT, proudly celebrate their “treasured tutor”, Kirsty Keane, as she wins her second award in just two months.
Working as a Health and Social Care and Early Years Care tutor for ACT since 2015, 26 year old Kirsty was recently awarded ‘Best Mentor’ at the EU Funds Awards which took place in Cardiff on the 5th December. Mark Drakeford, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, presented the awards which celebrate the success stories of mentors who have seized opportunities presented by the European Social Fund, going above and beyond to help people develop new skills, secure a job or find a new career path.
Commenting on her win Kirsty said, “I’m absolutely chuffed to bits to win this award. Everything I do is for my learners, so receiving this award is great encouragement for me that what I’m doing is making a positive impact.”
Richard Spear, Managing Director at ACT added, “We’re all incredibly proud of Kirsty and are delighted to see her being recognised for the fantastic job that she does. ACT is all about putting our learners first and delivering excellent training programmes. Kirsty embodies all our core values and is testament to the incredible staff we have working at ACT.”
Kirsty adds the ‘Best Mentor’ accolade to her growing pile of awards, as she also successfully picked up the Work-based Learning Practitioner of the Year (Tutor) at the prestigious Apprenticeship Awards Cymru 2018 which took place in November. The annual awards are designed to showcase and celebrate the outstanding achievements of learners, employers, tutors and assessors who have excelled in contributing to the development of the Welsh Government’s Traineeships and Apprenticeship Programmes.
Recognition of Kirsty’s hard work and efforts is unsurprising given the incredible results she has achieved with her learners. Successfully supporting 91 learners through a Level 1 Traineeship in Care with a 100% progression rate, which is an outstanding achievement at Traineeship level. These progression rates can be attributed to Kirsty always making time for her learners, listening to their hopes, dreams and fears, while at the same time planning unique learner experiences that exceed expectations for people often with complex needs and barriers.
Learner Anita Kaur testified to this saying, “Kirsty has been amazingly supportive and has taught me a lot in such a short amount of time. I can’t thank her enough for the massive change she has made in my life!”
Jade Young, another of Kirsty’s learners added, “Kirsty is fabulous and always gives amazing advice and helps me when needed. She is always kind and makes the day fun and often humorous so that we are not just gaining a qualification but having a great time also. I have always got the help I needed and she works hard to ensure that I complete my work to the best of my ability.”
Speaking on her awards, Kirsty concluded, “2018 has definitely been my year. I just can’t believe it. It’s such a great feeling to be recognised for the work I do. I love making a difference to people’s lives and I couldn’t do it without the incredible support of my amazing manager, the rest of the Care team, and all the other wonderful people who work at ACT. They really are the best!”
