Anne Reardon-James
Panda Education and Training Ltd

Anne Reardon-James joined Panda Education and Training Ltd in 2021 as a Learning Advisor, driven by a passion to make education available and accessible to all and improving the quality of workplace learning and experiences of adult learners.

Her role is to motivate, inspire and teach trainee tutors, trainers, and assessors to be confident, competent, and resilient educators. She teaches Level 3 Learning and Development Apprenticeships, Assessor training and bespoke training for further education and workplace professionals.

Many of Anne’s learners come from a variety of backgrounds, from people who have completed little in the way of formal education to those who have university degrees.

Anne says, “Our values at Panda are passion, respect, quality, and innovation, which I live and breathe because tutoring and mentoring my learners means everything to me. Seeing them improve their knowledge, skills and confidence and progressing to higher qualifications and the next step in their professional education careers, is very rewarding.”

Her commitment to learning throughout life is demonstrated in her own professional development, she is keen to keep her skills up to date as an associate member of several professional networks, including the CIPD and Advance HE.

“The variety of people I teach informs my own learning and development. For instance, I recently achieved my CSCS card so I can meet learners on construction sites to provide face-to-face support. I am also working towards a professional doctorate in education, researching workplace learning by talking to learners and employers at organisations across South Wales.”
In her spare time, Anne shares her love for learning and giving back to the community – she is a volunteer editor of the RaPAL journal for Research and Practices in Adult Literacies and teaches weekly online English language lessons to a Ukrainian refugee on a voluntary basis, whilst hosting two Ukrainian guests at her own home. She also works as a housebound library, and shopping volunteer.

Inspiring learners to progress onto further learning is an important part of Anne’s mentoring role, so that they continue to progress and succeed throughout life. Many of her learners have continued in education or have found employment and further opportunities in the education sector, going on to inspire others.