Meet The Team

Anthony Reece - Thompson

Business Development Consultant

Anthony is a business development consultant who has a background in Work Psychology. After a long stint abroad working in both the Netherlands and Germany, his work at Youthforce is primarily concerned with gaining and managing corporate accounts within the West Midlands region. Outside of work Anthony is a football man gaining his coaching qualifications at Aston Villa whilst he loves to beat his fellow business development consultants at poker!

Benn Chacksfield

Senior Programme Manager

Benn is our Senior Programme Manager at Youthforce. He is responsible for designing the apprenticeship programmes Youthforce offer, overseeing our programme management service and managing apprenticeship enrolments. He also delivers mentor training for current and prospective apprentice mentors to support them in their pivotal role in our programmes. Benn completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Brighton before completing his postgraduate Degree at the University of Sussex. In his spare time, Benn likes going to the gym, reading and going on excursions with his friends.

Carla Stuthridge

Training Manager

Carla is the training manager at Youthforce. She is responsible for ensuring our team of skills coaches are equipped with the correct skills and resources to support and deliver our range of programmes. Carla tracks the progress and quality of the programme to ensure every learner has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Carla is currently completing a Chartered Manager Degree to add to her library of teaching, assessing and quality qualifications. She enjoys long walks with family and her dog whenever she has the chance.

Charlotte Blant

CEO

Charlotte is the founder and CEO of Youthforce. She has responsibility for overall management of the business alongside setting the strategic direction. She also enjoys networking and developing partnerships with like minded individuals and organisations. In her quest to change the world through education and work, Charlotte undertakes some extra-curriculum activity whenever she can make the time. Firstly she is a Liveryman and Court Assistant of the Worshipful Company of Educators. This brings her into contact with a whole world of trade associations dating back to medieval times and the origins of apprenticeships. She also sits on the board as a Director for the Sussex Council of Training Providers (SCTP), who have a slightly more modern take on apprenticeships.

Georgia Widdowson

Operations Manager

Georgia manages Operations at Youthforce. She is responsible for ensuring we are compliant within our ESFA contract and is always seeking out new ways to help improve the business. Some might say her most important role is paying the rest of the team their wages! Georgia is currently completing her BA (Hons) in Management Practice as part of the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship with The Open University. With her ever-positive attitude, Georgia is always keen to try new things, whether its jewellery making workshops or kayaking on the river Arun.

Iain Buchanan

STEM Skills Coach

Iain is a STEM Skills Coach at Youthforce, he delivers the Pearson Edexcel Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Laboratory and Associated Technical Activities for both industry and educational. He delivers the Laboratory Technician Apprenticeship, he also supports the apprentice in preparing for the End Point Assessment using mock resources i.e. professional discussion and case study. He has qualifications in QCF (NVQ) Level 3 Assessing Competence in the Working Environment and The Royal Society Of Chemistry BTEC in Continuing Education Diploma in Science. He is a big Brighton and Gary Numan fan and loves go out and about to gigs, the cinema and live sport.

James Lang

Talent Acquisition Consultant

James is a member of the Talent Acquisition team. The bulk of his time is spent recruiting apprentices into new roles. Alongside this, James is working towards establishing a commercial recruitment offering at Youthforce. James completed a Masters Degree in International Security Studies at Sussex University in 2017 and has lived locally much of his life. Outside of work James can be found watching football – he has been a Brighton and Hove Albion season ticket holder for three seasons – and cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

Jay Crabb

Head of Sales and Talent Acquisition

Jay is responsible for managing our end-to-end sales and recruitment at Youthforce, using a broad range of activities that support industry development, sustainable growth and our mission statement. He is responsible for developing existing and forging new partnerships through consultative expertise to find training solutions for employers. Jay has worked within apprenticeships covering a wide range of roles for over ten years providing support to sectors such as Hospitality, Retail, Health and Social Care, Management and now STEM. He started his career in work-based learning and has a passion for supporting employers and apprentices with real learning opportunities. Jay loves spending time with his family and friends, keeping fit, watching movies and traveling.

Jemma Perks

STEM Skills Coach and Quality Lead

Jemma joined YouthForce in 2019 and leads on quality and consistency for all Science programmes. She also coaches a caseload of apprentices on the Laboratory Technician programme in addition to carrying out internal quality assurance for both Laboratory Technician and Business Administration programmes. She recently completed a 6-year part-time degree with the Open University in Life Sciences and Business Management in addition to being IOSHH qualified. Jemma enjoys travel and is happiest when she is walking her dog Lily in the sunshine.

Matt Taylor

Talent Acquisition Team Leader

Matt is the Talent Acquisition Team Leader at Youthforce. He is responsible for finding the right candidates for our apprenticeship opportunities. This includes advertising roles, interviewing candidates and running assessment centres with our employers. A University of Sheffield graduate, Matt has worked in the education sector since 2012. Prior to working at Youthforce Matt worked a teacher in Vietnam, later moving into teacher recruitment.

Matt is a keen cyclist and spends a lot of his free time riding his bike around the Sussex countryside.

Owese Shakoor

Business Development Consultant

Owese is a business development consultant. His main role is to be on the front line for engaging with companies to spread and manage apprenticeships throughout the West Midlands. He graduated university in Birmingham with a business enterprise degree and has a background working with SME’s in managerial roles. He spends his time learning another language, going to the gym and watching football.

Stephen Hill

STEM Skills Coach

Steve has experience in delivering NVQ and Applied Science courses in industry and academia. His 20-year industrial career started with ICI in the chemical industry on Teesside. He progressed into laboratory testing and research roles, prior to working as an applications chemist. Steve has achieved higher studies with a PhD level in Chemistry and PGCE in teaching/training. He has worked for over 12 years in teaching. He’s completed his assessor and IV awards to deliver NVQ qualifications. Outside of work, Steve likes to DJ with a local band and is a season ticket holder at Middlesbrough FC.

Sophie Jenkins

Business Development Consultant

Sophie is a member of the Business Development team, where she gains and manages accounts for clients in the Northern regions. Sophie comes from a STEM background and completed her BSc in Physics with Astrophysics at the University of Kent. She enjoys volunteering, with experience in childcare, at an observatory and has also volunteered in schools in Ghana. In her spare time, Sophie enjoys travelling to new places and spending time with family and friends.