supporting you
all the way

Some careers end when their practitioners are still young (professional sport) or after a set time (armed or other services) or when glass ceilings are reached because of lack of qualifications. FUTURESMART recognises that experiences gained in these fields can be used to assist in gaining qualifications or transitioning to other careers.

CAROLE DAVIES - MA ED

FOUNDER AND HEAD OF EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

As Head of Educational Services, Carole is able to draw on her established network of contacts, and an in-depth understanding of academic administration. Carole meets with potential clients and sports clubs, assesses their requirements, and works closely with universities and professional bodies to organise, develop and deliver FUTURESMART’s bespoke academic programmes. She has vast knowledge and experience of working with athletes and is adept at understanding the needs for flexible working and study in order for learning to be combined with being a professional sports person.

GERAINT DAVIES - BSc MB ChB FRCS(Lond) MD

FOUNDER, CEO AND HONORARY SENIOR LECTURER AT SHEFFIELD UNIVERSITY MEDICAL SCHOOL

Geraint is a recently retired Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon who served at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. His MD (Doctorate in Medicine) was obtained through a research post in Bristol in 1986. His professional experience included teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels which was an important component of his post at The Children’s Hospital. Additionally, Geraint supervised research projects and dissertations for BSc and MSc candidates.

Membership in World Orthopaedic Concern (WOC) signifies a commitment to promoting orthopaedic care in developing countries. Furthermore, Geraint actively participates in charitable work in Nepal, collaborating with the registered charity NEVEREST.

MIRANDA TROJANOWSKA - BSc PGCE PhD

TUTOR

After Postdoctoral research in Biochemistry, Miranda spent 15 years teaching in Further and Higher Education, principally Biology & Forensic Science. She also gained a qualification in Counselling and has extensive experience in pastoral support of students in a range of issues. In futuresmart she is responsible for all IT requirements, updating the website and for the design and management of Moodle, the online support system. She tutors and mentors students in their preparation for academic and professional qualifications.

KATE MCKENZIE - MA PGCE BA(Hons) CMgr

PERSONAL QUALIFIED TUTOR

Kate’s career in education spans almost 2 decades. She has worked in Higher Education, Further Education and the community including roles as tutor, mentor, coach, and manager. Kate was Programme Manager for a large Creative Industries Department in an FE college and progressed to Deputy Head of a multi-discipline department in a large regional FE college. Here, she was responsible for 23 staff and over 400 students who were studying both FE and HE courses. Kate now works as an AL for  Educational Leadership for Coventry University and for the Charter Management Institute as an Independent Apprenticeship Assessor.

Within the community she worked closely with a range of employers to provide high quality educational opportunities for a range of diverse students. These have included Theatres, Sports Clubs, Shopping Centres, to name a few.

In addition to her educational work Kate is Director of her own business which gives additional insight into the challenges leading your own company.

During her career Kate has mentored and supported both colleagues and students in their continuing professional development. This has been in both educational and professional settings. Her experience has provided her with an insight and the skills to provide a diverse range of students the necessary guidance, support, and motivation.

SEAN WRIGHT - MA

Military Mentor

Sean is a former British Army NCO and highly-motivated, educated professional currently working within the sports industry. He has a proven track record of providing exemplary levels of service to a broad range of partners, professionals and stakeholders. Recently graduated from Northumbria University with a 2:1 MA in professional practice in Coaching & Mentoring. Sean has experience in project management and change management as well as assisting with developing valuable skills sets to create positive impacts.

JACKIE KING - PMHSC, MSW, PG Cert HE, FHEA

INTERNAL MODERATOR

Jackie is a qualified social worker registered with the Social Work England and also an experienced housing practitioner with nearly 40 years working in the public, voluntary and not-for-profit third sector.
She is a practice teacher for social work students and has helped to train 18 in the last 4 years. She is a trained performance and life coach.
Jackie is committed to lifelong learning and has recently retired from the University of Derby where she was a lecturer for the last 4 years. She has written and taught the Management and Leadership module at level 6 for the last 2 years. This is based on over 25 years’ in management as a leader of a large charitable organisation where as CEO she employed 650 staff to support 350 service users with learning difficulties.
She has 3 degrees herself including a Professional Masters in Health and Social Care and a Masters in Social Work. She completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education in 2019 and is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

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WHY FUTURESMART IS DIFFERENT

  • We offer bespoke programmes tailored to the needs of the individual. READ MORE ABOUT OUR BESPOKE PROGRAMMES
  • We can arrange pathways leading to formal academic or professional qualifications.
  • In many instances we enable clients to access Masters level courses without  an undergraduate degree, saving much time and money. READ MORE ABOUT ACCESSING MASTER COURSES WITHOUT AN UNDERGRADUATE  DEGREE
  • Flexibility. Our bespoke programmes permit our clients to study for Undergraduate, Masters or Professional qualifications during or after their sporting or other careers. Our bespoke educational packages are specifically structured to be compatible with an individual’s present career commitments and their future ambitions.
  • We can negotiate with Universities on your behalf.
  • Our packages allow your attributes and skills to be utilised to acquire academic qualifications with universities and designed with potential employers in mind.
  • All bespoke educational packages are accessible online and support from qualified tutors is available locally to each client to suit her/his schedule.
  • We work at your pace; we negotiate for you and offer guidance, support and tuition  for you to succeed.

In short, we can provide products that are of value to you and your future.