The Team

Meet the Staff

Governance Board

Jean Stevens-Duprez MBE, FCIOB

Chair
Jean Stevens-Duprez MBE, FCIOB

Chair
- Email Jean
Jean is Chair of The Skills Centre’s Governance Board and brings with her, vast experience across many sectors, working cultures and industries.
Jean has a proven track record in delivering transformation programmes across a range of business operation strategies, as well as experience in setting up employer and industry-led trade boot camps for the construction industry.
This includes TfL’s Mayors Construction Academy (MCA) hub, which includes the Tunnelling & Underground Construction Academy, and the Construction Skills Programme; helping TfL establish a pipeline of talent to support the delivery of both their Property Development and Major Projects departments. And also the Thames Skills Academy; a group training organisation on behalf of Thames Tideway and the Port of London Authority that is dedicated to raising the standards of skills required both ashore and afloat on the tidal Thames, whilst the new super sewer is under construction.
Jean is an Executive of the Construction Client Leadership Group (CCLG) and is a representative on the City of London’s Social Value Consultation Panel. Jean held position of Chair of the Business Development Board at the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) London up to June 2021.
As a Director of Women into Construction Jean is passionate about her work in raising awareness with females both in recruitment and more importantly retention, within the Construction Industry and championing raising Mental Health awareness.
As a London Ambassador representing construction for the National Apprenticeship Service, Jean promotes apprenticeships across the built environment. Delivering impactful workforce solutions by helping businesses capitalise on opportunities around the skills landscape, with a current focus on emerging green skills needs, providing opportunities to shape the skills required and access the fully trained workforces needed to deliver on quality.
In 2015 Jean received an MBE for Services to Skills and Training.
Jon Howlin

CEO
Jon Howlin

CEO
- Email Jon
Jon Howlin, CEO, leads The Skills Centre team in delivering on its mission to transform lives, creating social value by delivering local opportunities to local people.
With over 15 years’ experience in strategy, operations and business development within the education and construction skills sectors, Jon brings a passion for training that provides learners with the best opportunities in their fields.
Under his leadership The Skills Centre has developed a range of training courses and syllabuses that meet employer needs, working with partner organisations, local authorities, and policy makers across the UK to help fill a growing skills gap in the construction industry.
Jon is a member of The Skills for a Sustainable Skyline Taskforce, which is working to understand the future green skills needs for construction in London, and to develop a plan for meeting that need over the next 3 years.
Trudy Burrows

Independent Board Member
Trudy Burrows

Independent Board Member
- Email Trudy
Trudy Burrows founded Ashley Business Consultants in 2016. She is one of the UK’s leading experts in apprenticeship delivery, having gained considerable experience in senior posts at several UK Colleges, including Deputy CEO at Birmingham Metropolitan College and Executive Director at The Manchester College.
Trudy ran the largest and most successful Apprenticeship programme in the UK. This work has been recognised with several Her Majesty’s Inspectorate Grade 1 inspection results and the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for partnerships between education and industry.
During her time at The Manchester College, Trudy Managed the growth in apprenticeship numbers from 1,200 to 5,000, and she transformed their Grade 4 performing apprenticeship training provision to Grade 1 and Grade 2.
Whilst at Birmingham Metropolitan College, Trudy was instrumental in securing, setting up, and managing the Caterpillar Apprenticeship Academy; the largest single-site apprenticeship location in the UK. The Academy delivered over 1,200 apprentices and was awarded a Grade 1 status by OFSTED.
Due to the success of the Caterpillar Model, Trudy has secured further commercial partnerships and the model has been replicated by other levy-paying brands such as Jaguar Land Rover, BMW, and Unipart, as well as other large construction and manufacturing organisations.
Trudy has been engaged by the UK Government as an advisor on the implementation of the Apprenticeship Levy, and on skills and talent retention in the UK.
Ray Moyler

Employee Voice
Ray Moyler

Employee Voice
- Email Ray
Ray began working for The Skills Centre in 2019 after 10 working ‘on the tools’ as a carpenter.
Ray’s starting role was as a NVQ Assessor, which allowed him to transition into the world of construction training, while still making regular visits to construction sites to work closely with his learners.
From there Ray moved into Pre-Employment Programmes, where over a 2-week programme, learners gained health and safety knowledge, formwork carpentry skills, and CSCS cards, with potential job outcomes at the end of the programme. In 2020 he began teaching formwork apprenticeships at The Skills Centre’s Elephant and Castle, and Build East centres.
Ray now works in the Quality Team, helping to support the apprenticeship and NVQ delivery teams in maintaining their good quality working practices, through compliance with Ofsted and other funding providers. This involves assisting with improvement plans, supporting tutors, and quality-checking paperwork and portfolios.

Executive Board

Alun Chapple MAAT

Finance Partner
Alun Chapple MAAT

Finance Partner
- Email Alun
Alun has over 39 years’ experience in financial and commercial disciplines. He has worked in small partnerships, medium-sized businesses and in large, international public limited companies.
Prior to setting up his own consultancy in 2019, Alun was the Group Financial Director for a small but diverse group of companies. Previously he spent a year working with a charity and prior to that he held senior management roles in both a finance and commercial capacity.
Since setting up his own business Alun has specialised in working in challenging environments; he recently undertook a project for a UK region of a US company to reorganise its finance department.
Alun also worked on the transition of The Skills Centre’s finance department after the change of ownership, and he has remained working with the company in an independent advisory capacity to the board.
Alun continues to work with several SMEs in various capacities outside of his work for The Skills Centre
Alun is a member of the Association of Accounting Technicians and holds a diploma in Advanced Management Accounting from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Governance Board

Jean Stevens-Duprez MBE, FCIOB

Jon Howlin

Trudy Burrows

Ray Moyler

Executive Board

Alun Chapple MAAT

Start your journey to opportunity

Get regular updates from us!