A conversation with…….Owen Spencer, Business Development Manager

Getting to know Owen Spencer

Owen is a true expert in all things Paragon Skills and can be a true advocate for us, as he has a personal account of experiencing the great work we do. Having previously been a learner and completing a Level 2 and L3 Customer Service apprenticeship with us here at Paragon Skills, Owen’s experience helps learners to relate, understand the expectations and the career progression opportunities available from doing an apprenticeship.

Owen engages and inspires learners and employers with his own career development since joining as an apprentice; through having various roles with Paragon Skills and partner organisations, spearheading recruitment and learner engagement activity, he is now a high performing Business Development Manager executing our ambitious growth plans and using his wealth of knowledge and experience of the sector to support new colleagues, employers and learners.

Being a Business Development Manager

As a BDM, every day is different, and this is a snapshot of what Owen has to say about this role.

What does your role entail?

“Working internally with operations, business development, contracts, admin and most teams across the wider business to deliver a smooth teaching and learning experience for our learners and employers. My role involves creating and implementing meaningful and purposeful training plans for both SME and large corporate clients from 1-10,000 employees within the health and social care, professional services and childcare sectors to achieve their training and development goals. I provide expert information, advice and guidance on the entire apprenticeship journey, from strategy and implementation plans for training, including how best to utilise their levy funds or other funding incentives, right through to reporting on achievements and return on investment”

What gives you the most satisfaction?

“Seeing the impact that the work I do has on other organisations and helping young people secure apprenticeship opportunities to kick-start their careers, like Paragon did for me.  I enjoy getting out and meeting people aligned to what I do, every day is different as I speak to so many different clients. One day I could be speaking to someone with a beauty business looking for their first apprentice, the next to a group of care homes looking to re-evaluate their offering and L&D strategy, it is very varied which means I am able to adapt my communication and presentation style to suit their needs whether I am pitching to a senior leadership team or a solo business owner.”

What has been the highlight so far?

“I take pride and personal satisfaction in the work I do and my ability to help learners and employers by delivering results, and consistently over-achieving my targets. I am proud to have had my employers and learners win or be nominated for our monthly awards regularly, and I am pleased with the strong employer relationships I have built as I receive a lot of positive feedback from clients, which I share regularly as my ‘Testimonial Tuesday’ on LinkedIn.”

Why should others join?

“I am personally looking forward to continuing to inspire success, exceed targets and be a trusted partner to employers nationally. I am excited to win new business opportunities to support further organisations and enhance the existing relationships I have with my clients. It is an exciting time as we are winning a lot of awards, doing great things in the sector and have ambitious growth plans to continue to be the best provider we can be. We have a great culture, with lots of colleagues just as enthusiastic and passionate about apprenticeships as I am, and a lot of opportunities to grow and develop within the business!”

If you enjoyed learning more about Owen and his role as a Business Development Manager, visit our careers page to view the vacancies we have available.