Mark John Holdcroft
Newcastle-u-Lyme,Staffordshire
Summary
Accomplished professional with extensive expertise in developing high-quality traineeships and engaging employers. Proven track record in managing employer relationships and teaching industrial heating, ventilation, and plumbing qualifications. Skilled in line management, planning, timetabling, and allocating workloads to ensure efficient programme delivery. Adept at quality assurance, reviewing evaluation data, and implementing programme improvements to enhance teaching and assessment quality. Experienced in liaising with awarding bodies, ensuring compliance with assessment strategies, and planning for external verification. Committed to improving learner success rates and satisfaction through systematic quality improvement and effective communication of vision, mission, and values. Dedicated to promoting equality, diversity, safeguarding practices, health and safety standards while conducting impact and risk assessments.
Overview
40
40
years of professional experience
Work history
Trade Lead End-point Assessor
Construction EPA Company
02.2023 - 02.2025
- Leading and Managing, Assessments and Assessors over Trade specific Areas of Plumbing/Gas and Building Services Engineering
- Main Initial point of contact for trade areas of competency
- Recruitment Officer for BSE/Plumbing/Gas Trade Area for Independent End-point assessors and IQA’s, responsible for induction training on-going mentoring, training and support for End-point Assessors within trade area
- Responsible for technical guidance on materials and resources are available for assessments to take place
- Ensure all staff are compliant with Health & safety
- Provide technical guidance and support on trade specific areas in relationship management, centre management
- Work with Quality Team providing desktop audits and IQA observations
- Conduct Center Audit Sign-offs
Freelance Consultant- IQA/Assessor in Plumbing & Industrial Heating & Ventilating
02.2020 - 02.2025
- Develop and promote high quality Apprenticeships
- Actively engage employers to drive the apprenticeships and manage the relationship with the employers
- Teach & Assess Plumbing & Industrial Heating & Ventilating qualifications
- Line manage a team of Associate Assessors to deliver apprenticeships, including planning, timetabling, and allocating workloads
- Carry out quality activities and assurance activities related to the suite of qualifications including: Planning and quality assuring the programme delivery
- Reviewing evaluation data and implementing improvements to programmes
- Improving quality of teaching and assessment through sharing of good practice
- Liaising with awarding bodies and external verifiers and moderators as required
- Ensuring compliance with awarding body assessment strategies and quality assurance requirements
- Planning for external verification and moderation visits
- Ensure the team delivers apprenticeships at or above the target success rates and meet other key performance indicators
- Monitor and evaluate the performance of Associate Assessors, including regularly reviewing and reporting on learner progress
- Review and report on learner progress and take actions to ensure learners complete their programmes in the required time given
- Ensure that Associate members have an appropriate professional development plan and receive regular and appropriate CPD opportunities
- Liaise with other teams and colleagues to ensure effective communication; efficient flow of data and information relating to learners and delivery activity; and effective passing on of business development opportunities
- Support colleagues in identifying planning and implementing quality improvements that ensure rising success rates and rising learner employer satisfaction
- Share and contribute to the Organisations vision, mission and values and communicate them effectively through management behaviours
- Ensure compliance with Organisation’s requirements, policies, systems, and procedures throughout your area of responsibility
- Actively promote and model good practice in equality and diversity, safeguarding and health and safety and carry out impact and risk assessments, as necessary
Managing Director - Associate Training Consultant/Assessor & IQA
GPR Training Solutions
09.2017 - 02.2025
- I am responsible for developing and to delivering a Building Services sector employer engagement strategy based on National Industrial Heating & Ventilation, Plumbing & Renewable Standards
- I am also responsible for maintaining all aspects of the quality management system, within my company
- Supervising all regulatory compliance activities and helping to enforce quality assurance policies and best practice principles covering the safety, design, installation, maintenance, and inspection of work being carried out
Plumbing Practitioner/IQA
South Staffs College
04.2022 - 02.2024
- The delivery and assessing of ST303 Plumbing & Domestic Heating Standard & Heating qualifications at the college
- This includes developing and designing robust schemes of works to match employer needs, developing e-learning resources, lesson plans and assessing the required competences
- I am responsible for the IQA in the ER Plumbing Department, so I play an active role in ensuring success rates, timely achievements and attendance levels of apprentices are achieved through the cohort of learners at the college
- This is achieved through continual monitoring and effective planning of assessments of all ER assessors
- Actively engage with the local business forums and higher education establishments to raise the profile of the college and promote apprenticeships
Interim Lead IV & Quality Assurance Manager
BESA Group
12.2019 - 02.2020
- Take part in regular training and standardisation activities, associated with the role of IEA for this EPA
- Maintain and provide evidence of ongoing, relevant Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
- Assess the performance of candidates in accordance with published assessment and grading criteria and procedures, ensuring overall standards are maintained
- Follow the protocols set out in Building Services Engineering specifications, assessment materials and quality assurance protocols, relating to the EPAs
- Maintain service-level agreements with regards to responding to EPA planning, operational activities, reports, and submissions of assessment outcomes
- Report all risks and issues encountered during the end-point assessment, including any suspected malpractice/maladministration
- Ensure all EPA reports and assessment evidence are high quality and recorded accurately
- Support the Groups, if necessary, with any appeals from apprentices, regarding assessment decisions
- Raise any conflicts of interest, including in relation to the independence of assessment
- Ensure that any personal actions are completed, as required by the Group
- Contribute to the continuous improvement and development of end-point assessment activities in the BSE Sector
Trainer/IQA (Plumbing)- Employer Responsive
Walsall College
02.2017 - 09.2017
- The delivery and assessing of City & Guilds, NVQ Level 3 and 2 in Plumbing & Heating qualifications at the college
- This includes developing and designing robust schemes of work to match employer needs, developing e-learning resources, lesson plans and assessing the required competences
- I am responsible for the IQA in the ER Plumbing Department, so I play an active role in ensuring success rates, timely achievements and attendance levels of apprentices are achieved through the cohort of learners at the college
- This is achieved through continual monitoring and effective planning of assessments of all ER assessors
- I also ensure the Health & Safety and the well-being of the learner within the workplace and the college
- This is achieved through reviews and by building constructive relationships with both apprentices and employers
- Actively engage with the local business forums and higher education establishments to raise the profile of the college and promote apprenticeships
Sector Manager/ Quality Coordinator -Construction & Plumbing
South Staffs College
05.2016 - 02.2017
- I was responsible for developing and to deliver a sector employer engagement strategy based on relevant local and national data and local knowledge to increase the number of employers and extend the breadth of employers
- Work with the Quality Co-ordinator for workplace learning to effectively account management of all employers within the sector to retain current employers, extend the range and take up of services and to increase the employer base
- To establish and maintain regular employer forums ensuring they inform curriculum development
Lecturer Plumbing/Renewables
South Staffs College
04.2014 - 04.2016
- I’m the Course Tutor for all Level 3 Full time & NVQ students at South Staffs College, in this role I am responsible in the selection process of learners, this also includes developing Schemes of Works, Resources, Lesson Plans and assessing the required competencies of candidates in Plumbing, Solar Domestic Hot Water, Air Source Heat Pumps
- I have engaged regularly with the external verifiers and awarding bodies to guarantee that we are delivering excellent service to our learners
- I take an active role in ensuring success rates, timely achievements
- This is achieved through continual monitoring and effective planning of Assessments through the IQA process, which I am
- Responsible for the IV process on numerous Course Levels
- I am also the Lead in the Practical Activities in Plumbing Workshop Assessment Planning, also responsible for Assessment Strategies of 7202-02, 6035-02, and 6035-03 Plumbing Studies qualifications
- Also, I was actively engaged with the local community through schools, Staffordshire & Cheshire business forums and higher education establishments to raise the profile of the college to promote Apprenticeships through Plumbing and Renewable Energy Courses
Lecturer Plumbing
Walsall College
01.2013 - 04.2014
- Responsible for a cohort of Plumbing Students Practical Works shop Assessments
- Duties include the selection of recruitment, working closely with external customers, the completion of all the administration procedures and paperwork to satisfy FSA recruitment, workshop activities both practical and theoretical with the level 1, 2& 3 Plumbing Courses
- Developing Plumbing Workshop Bays, Budget of Consumables in Practical Activities in Plumbing Workshop, also responsible for Assessment Strategies of 7202-02, 6035-02, 6035-03
- Also, I was actively engaged with the local community through schools, business forums and higher education establishments to raise the profile of the college and promote Apprenticeships and Renewable Energy Courses
- I also had the Great Honour to be the United Kingdom Lead in 'LLP Leonardo da Vinci Partnership' in Europe
- Where I was a speaker at a Conference in Giulianovaa (TE), Italy
- During this project we developed the following activities: - Workshops about 'Best practices of renewable energy applying, and integration of skills needs of the labour market in Europe'
- Debates about Environmental, Cultural, Tourism and Energy Policies
- Analysis of professional qualifications in the field of renewable energy
Lecturer/Tutor Assessor
Stoke-on-Trent College
06.2007 - 01.2013
- My duties involve the delivery of City & Guilds, NVQ Level 3 and 2 in Mechanical Engineering Studies, Heating & Ventilation (Plumbing/Heating & Ventilation) qualification
- This includes developing and designing schemes of work, resources, lesson plans and assessing the required competences
- I played an active role in ensuring success rates, timely achievements, and attendance levels of apprentices
- This is achieved through continual monitoring and effective planning of assessments with my cohort of students
- I was responsible for the Curriculum delivery of the Level 2 & 3 Heating & Ventilation for external training providers
- I also ensure the Health & Safety and the well-being of the learner within the workplace and the college
- This is achieved through 12 weekly reviews and by building constructive relationships with both apprentice and employer
- Actively engage with the local community through schools, business forums and higher education establishments to raise the profile of the college and promote apprenticeships
Heating Engineer
Mark Holdcroft Plumbing & Heating
03.1993 - 06.2007
- To manage, develop and promote business with local and national companies, to increase business opportunities in the Building Services Sector
- I was responsible for maximising the revenue, managing expenditure, establishing projected sales, Budget Control, and overheads, this helped me in to Generating Quotations for central heating and pipe work installations in the Building Services Sector
- I installed varied pipework installations from heavy gauge steel pipework in Gas Installations to Chrome Pipework in the Food Preparation Sector
- I was responsible for all the Employee's Health & Safety requirements, Training and Workloads
- In my last three years with Holdcroft Plumbing & Heating I became a sole trader and Project Managed Contracts for Large Mechanical Services Companies actively engaging with Architects, Clerks of Work, Site Foreman's and other related trades in the sector, Planning Schemes of works, Labour, and material Costs to Budget Guidelines
- Setting goals and targets providing frequent feedback helping employees perform most effectively
Pipefitter Welder
George Birchall Ltd
06.1985 - 03.1993
- I started my career with George Birchall`s as a Pipefitter Welder Apprentice based at the Newcastle-u-Lyme Office
- On completion of my Apprenticeship, I was offered full contract with the Installation Department
- My duties are: - Installing and repairing sinks, commodes, bathtubs, water heaters and softeners and garbage disposals, repair and install radiators, convectors, steam traps, valves, pumps, meter, and related piping and equipment
- Installing Boiler Plant rooms
- Later at my time with George Birchall I moved on to Install heating and cooling coils, traps, and Refrigeration piping for air handling units to Architects and British Standards, working for Blue Chip Companies in environments such as Laboratory’s, Northern Foods Group, Home Office Buildings, Tesco Stores, Sports Centres, Grosvenor Hotel and Hilton Group and many more
- I also had the opportunity to work with the Building Management Systems department which controlled Heating, Ventilation, and lighting systems from computer systems anywhere in the world, which I had to liaise with clients and subcontractors making sure the companies ISO Quality Controls and customer relations were upheld
Education
City & Guild Level 3 Certificate - Preparing to Teach in the Life Learning Sector
Stoke-on-Trent College
Advanced Craft Certificate - Heating & Ventilation Fitting
City & Guilds
Advanced Craft Certificate - Construction Services Welding (Gas Welding)
City & Guilds
Advanced Craft Certificate - Construction Services Welding (Metal Arc Welding)
City & Guilds
Abrasive Wheels Regulations 1970 Course - undefined
Stoke-on-Trent College
Certificate of Achievement - Solar Domestic Hot Water Heating
BPEC
City & Guilds Level 3 Certificate - Assessing Candidates Using a Range of Methods (A1)
City & Guilds
Level 2 NVQ - Plumbing (Domestic)
City & Guilds
Certificate of Achievement - Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999
BPEC
Certificate of Achievement - Domestic Hot Water Storage Systems
BPEC
Level 3 - Mechanical Engineering Services- Plumbing (Domestic)
City & Guilds
Skills
- Developing high quality traineeships
- Engaging employers
- Managing employer relationships
- Teaching Industrial Heating & Ventilation
- Teaching Plumbing qualifications
- Line management
- Planning and timetabling
- Allocating workloads
- Quality assurance
- Programme delivery planning
- Reviewing evaluation data
- Implementing programme improvements
- Improving quality of teaching and assessment
- Running meetings
- Liaising with awarding bodies
- Ensuring compliance with assessment strategies
- Planning for external verification
- Monitoring performance of Associate Assessors
- Evaluating learner progress
- Professional development planning
- Effective communication
- Data flow management
- Business development opportunity passing
- Identifying quality improvements
- Improving learner success rates
- Improving learner employer satisfaction
- Systematic quality improvement
- Communicating vision, mission and values
- Ensuring compliance with policies and procedures
- Promoting equality and diversity
- Safeguarding
- Health and safety
- Impact and risk assessments
- Observing teaching and assessment practice
Additional Information
Member of the United Kingdom party to 'Discover a New Working Field' in Giulianova (TE) Italy., Developed a European standardisation of working practices.
Custom
- Spending time with children, family, and friends.
- Sport and outdoor activities such as Golf and Walking.
Personal Information
- Date of birth: 12/16/68
- Marital status: Married
Timeline
Trade Lead End-point Assessor
Construction EPA Company
02.2023 - 02.2025
Plumbing Practitioner/IQA
South Staffs College
04.2022 - 02.2024
Freelance Consultant- IQA/Assessor in Plumbing & Industrial Heating & Ventilating
02.2020 - 02.2025
Interim Lead IV & Quality Assurance Manager
BESA Group
12.2019 - 02.2020
Managing Director - Associate Training Consultant/Assessor & IQA
GPR Training Solutions
09.2017 - 02.2025
Trainer/IQA (Plumbing)- Employer Responsive
Walsall College
02.2017 - 09.2017
Sector Manager/ Quality Coordinator -Construction & Plumbing
South Staffs College
05.2016 - 02.2017
Lecturer Plumbing/Renewables
South Staffs College
04.2014 - 04.2016
Lecturer Plumbing
Walsall College
01.2013 - 04.2014
Lecturer/Tutor Assessor
Stoke-on-Trent College
06.2007 - 01.2013
Heating Engineer
Mark Holdcroft Plumbing & Heating
03.1993 - 06.2007
Pipefitter Welder
George Birchall Ltd
06.1985 - 03.1993
Advanced Craft Certificate - Heating & Ventilation Fitting
City & Guilds
Advanced Craft Certificate - Construction Services Welding (Gas Welding)
City & Guilds
Advanced Craft Certificate - Construction Services Welding (Metal Arc Welding)
City & Guilds
Abrasive Wheels Regulations 1970 Course - undefined
Stoke-on-Trent College
Certificate of Achievement - Solar Domestic Hot Water Heating
BPEC
City & Guilds Level 3 Certificate - Assessing Candidates Using a Range of Methods (A1)
City & Guilds
Level 2 NVQ - Plumbing (Domestic)
City & Guilds
Certificate of Achievement - Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999
BPEC
Certificate of Achievement - Domestic Hot Water Storage Systems
BPEC
Level 3 - Mechanical Engineering Services- Plumbing (Domestic)
City & Guilds
City & Guild Level 3 Certificate - Preparing to Teach in the Life Learning Sector
Stoke-on-Trent College
Similar Profiles
NATHANIEL HICKSNATHANIEL HICKS
Enforcement Officer at Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)Enforcement Officer at Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Madison SamperiMadison Samperi
Inventory Analyst at EPA MarketingInventory Analyst at EPA Marketing
James (Trip) Hook IIIJames (Trip) Hook III
Senior Project Manager (Detail) at U.S EPA, Office of Compliance and EnforcementSenior Project Manager (Detail) at U.S EPA, Office of Compliance and Enforcement
Mandy TeagueMandy Teague
Team Leader - Care at Anchor TrustTeam Leader - Care at Anchor Trust
Ruan ApplebyRuan Appleby
Swim Teacher/Supervisor at GUST Swim LLPSwim Teacher/Supervisor at GUST Swim LLP