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Jack Parsons Appointed as Non-Exec Director of the Association of Apprentices

9th June 2021

Jack Parsons, known as UK’s Chief Youth Officer, joins the board of directors of the Association of Apprentices created by former Lord Mayor of London, Sir Peter Estlin and educationalist Jason Holt CBE.

The Association of Apprentices (also known as AoA) chaired by Estlin and Holt, has appointed Jack Parsons, founder of The Youth Group.

The Association fills the broader social gaps often missing from the UK’s apprenticeship programmes, providing a more rounded experience that provides a true alternative to university study. A founding principle is that apprentices themselves must lead the charge, so it is key that the Association is for apprentices and led by apprentices.

The appointment of Jack comes at an exciting time for AoA, as it looks to expand its reach and outcomes for membership, digitally. The Youth Group has a community of 1.7M young people, and in just three years has helped to support 90,000 young people to prepare for, get into, and develop at work.

Peter Estlin commented “I’ve known Jack for a few years now and I really admire the passion, energy and action that Jack brings in supporting young people and helping them fulfil their lives. As chair of the Association of Apprentices, I am delighted to have Jack join our board and help us build a strong community of talented apprentices; a vital cohort of the UK’s talent pool”.

Jack Parsons said “I’m always keen to support young people starting out as an apprentice to find their duvet flip and thrive in the workplace. The work that Peter, Jason and the executive team has done is incredible. The focus over the next 12 months is all about digital growth and building the membership, something that I cannot wait to support”.

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Jan Richardson-Wilde

CEO, Occupational Awards Limited

Jan is the CEO of Occupational Awards Limited, a Director of the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink and an FE College Governor. She has over 35 years’ experience in the education sector in strategic and operational management of training programmes with colleges, private training providers, local authorities the voluntary sector and not for profit organisations. Jan has previously been a board member of the Learning and Skills Council, chair of the North Yorkshire Training Provider network and Vice-Chair of Yorkshire Coast College and a Governor of the Grimsby Institute for Further and Higher Education. She has extensive experience of education policy, apprenticeships, qualification, and curriculum development as well as business improvement.

Jan joined OAL in 2019, a leading non-profit industry-focused Awarding and End-Point Assessment Organisation, supporting a wide range of employers and of key stakeholders to succeed and surpass expectations. Jan is committed to continuous improvement and enthusiastic about improving the effectiveness, impact and quality of apprenticeships, education, and training in the UK and internationally. She has a wide range of experience of working in a collaborative context with employers and training providers to develop End Point Assessment, apprenticeships, and a wide range of vocational programmes.

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