Growing Together Spotlight - Karen Hunt

 

Today is not only April 24^th; it is Administrative Professional’s Day! Today we celebrate the amazing work of all administrators who are a vital part of organisations across the UK. For us, this is Training and National Administrator Karen Hunt. Karen started working with us in October 2022 and has been an absolutely invaluable part of the team ever since. She keeps everything working smoothly behind the scenes and is often the first port of call for communication with our course participants. Karen is part of the fabric of Team Growing Together.  To celebrate her special day, we talked to her about her role, being part of Growing Together and what she values about working for Aldridge Education.

 

What do you enjoy most about being the administrator for the Growing Together team?

I feel very fortunate to work with Poppy, Ted and now Rachel who are so passionate about what they do when training others to be the best they can be for our pupils.  I get to meet and work with a diverse range of people both internally and from other schools and to organise so many events.  No two weeks are ever the same.  You never quite know what is around the corner but that is what makes it so enjoyable. 

 

How did your career path lead you to this role?

I started my working life in the banking sector and in the early 2000’s I relocated to Norfolk where I was fortunate enough to start working in education. I loved working with children and being in an administrative environment played to my strengths. I have always been interested in the training that is offered for school staff.  Your staff can only be as good as the CPD they receive.  My role at Aldridge was a natural progression for me and enabled me to bring all the skills I had learnt.  To be part of this offer with the reach to schools across the country and be instrumental in some small way to the outcomes of children and young adults is a great feeling.

 

What advice would you have for people coming on our training?

Just do it!  There is nothing to lose.  The experience our facilitators can share is fantastic.  It is great to see people grow so much in confidence from their first NPQ Welcome Call to when they take their final assessment. We are here to help and support you every step of the way.

 

What is your most memorable moment working for Aldridge Education?

My most memorable moment working for Aldridge Education was a pivotal moment for me.  I had attended some training that Poppy and Ted were delivering during my first term.  We were walking back to our accommodation discussing how the first day of training had gone.  Hearing Poppy and Ted talk so passionately about the delivery of their training and how invested they were in the participants and what they were learning. For the participants then being able to take this training back to their schools and the impact this would ultimately have on pupils made me realise I was absolutely in the right place 😊Aldridge encourages you to be you, embrace your differences, to question the norm and value your own contribution to the wider Trust.  Having had experience in other school settings I can see that Aldridge is the exception rather than the rule and I count myself lucky every day. 

 

Thank you for everything you do Karen! Happy Administrative Professional’s Day!