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Meet the Team 

David Willoughby

Director of Training

I started my career in Education and Training in 1992, working with the Training and Enterprise Council who later became the Learning and Skills Council, looking after the performance, quality and delivery of a number of local Training Providers.

In 2001 I became the General Manager for a Manufacturing Training Provider, providing training solutions for the local manufacturing such as the caravan Industry.

In 2003 I moved to the GTA to become the Quality and Contracts Manager, managing the external delivery, government contracts and quality processes for the organisation. In 2009 I became the Director of Training, responsible for overseeing all the GTAs activities. 2022 was my 20th Year with the GTA.

Mark Crawford

Training Manager

I started off my career at a small independent garage out at Withernsea were I gained valuable experience of working in the motor trade and completed my Apprenticeship as a Light Vehicle Technician.

Once qualified I moved to T C Harrison a main Austin Rover dealership in Hull carrying out the service and repair of light vehicles. After several years on my tools I moved onto the reception area dealing with customers face to face and providing technical support to customers and the rest of the reception team, I also spent some time as Service Manager at a new branch in York that had opened. I moved back to Hull and into the workshop as works controller looking after a team of technicians and making sure customer deadlines were adhered to.

After 9 years I then moved to Audi / VW again as a works controller looking after the day to day running of the workshop I then moved to Welptons, a Rover dealership as a senior technician and MOT tester.  In 2003 I then joined the GTA as an assessor working my way up the ranks as an Internal Verifier to now being the Training Manager, looking after the day to day running of the organisation, recruitment of learners and employers as well as making sure our quality assurance meets the rigours of the Awarding Bodies. 

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Rachael Owen

Business and Marketing Lead

I started my career as a Business Administration Apprentice at Hull City Council.  Following this, I went on to study a HNC in Business IT and began a new career at a local College as an IT Applications Trainer and Course Leader.  during this time I gained post-education teaching status and gained a Level 4 Management qualification.

I then moved on to work as a Partnership Manager promoting funded qualifications across the Y&H Region.  This lead me to starting and developing a new team as the Business Development Manager at East Riding College.

I have a vast amount of education, skills and funding knowledge which lead me to managing and running an Apprenticeship Training Academy, where I was responsible for all aspects of the training centre from recruitment through to delivery.

Having a young family I decided to reduce my responsibilities to spend more time at home and moved to join the GTA.  Working initially as the Centre Administrator, I have recently been promoted to the Business and Marketing Lead so that I can work more closely with our employers, learners and applicants. 

Martin Redshaw

Work Based Assessor

I started out as an apprentice light vehicle technician with Armstrong Massey in Driffield aged 16 working on Austin Rover and Land Rover Vehicles.

After 3 years I progressed to become an apprentice with Jaguar with Armstrong Massey in Beverley in preparation to Jaguar moving to be a stand alone franchise dealership of The Jaguar Centre in Hull. After attaining my full apprenticeship qualification I progressed to vehicle technician, workshop foreman, assistant service manager and finally service manager. Throughout this time I attended various dealership technical and service advisor courses and steered what had now become Hatfield's Jaguar to 2nd place nationally in the 2005 Jaguar aftersales dealer of the year award.

In 2006 I moved to the Saab dealership in Hessle as service manager again attending training courses and winning regional service centre awards. Later this became Infiniti Centre Hull, which after one year of trading became European Infiniti Centre of the Year for Sales and Aftersales performance.

In 2016 I was given the opportunity to work for the GTA as a work based assessor and have enjoyed the career change immensely. 

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Kayleigh Owst

Tutor

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I started out as an Apprentice Technician with the GTA working at a local fast fit chain, then after completing my Level 2 qualification I moved to a local Audi/VW specialist where I completed my Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

After gaining knowledge and experience in the industry carrying out a range of servicing, maintenance, diagnostic and repair activities I was given the opportunity to join the GTA as an Assessor. Here I completed my A1 Assessor qualification and enjoyed spending time in the workplace with students and their employers carrying out progress reviews and practical assessments. When the GTA began delivering courses in-house I studied and gained my Level 4 Teaching qualifications, and since 2013 I have been a Tutor responsible for curriculum development and delivery of a wide range of courses.

I have most recently championed the new Level 2 Autocare Apprenticeship which has been developed to meet the needs of the industry. Within my role as a Tutor I undertake continuous professional development and continually gain new
qualifications such as Refrigerant Handling and Hybrid and Electric Vehicle qualifications to ensure that GTA students get the best training possible.

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Tom Smith

Tutor

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I started my career as an Apprentice Technician with the GTA at a newly opened site of a local car supermarket brand in Hessle. After working towards and achieving my Level 3 qualification, I then attended Hull College to complete an IMI Level 4 whilst working from the Hull branch.

During my employment with this company, I covered the role of service advisor within the company at the Hessle branch, being responsible for all retail work being booked in, dealing with customers, and managing several retail technicians at this site. This gave me added insight into other roles within the motor industry and day to day running of a very busy service department.  When on my tools, my work was focused mainly on retail, diagnostic work and MOT’s on vehicles at the Hessle branch before taking up the opportunity to secure a job with a national breakdown company as a roadside patrol in early 2017.  

I worked here until 2021, covering the vast majority of East Yorkshire, attending broken down vehicles at the roadside tasked with diagnosing and rectifying the varying faults found on both cars and motorbikes, both classic and new vehicles as well as dealing with customers’ needs and all manner of situations encountered.

In 2021 I started my new role at the GTA as a tutor, delivering training to full-time learners, apprentices and professional adult.  

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Michelle Chapman 

Administrator

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I started my career by undertaking a Level 2 Apprenticeship in Business and Administration with the GTA back in 2005.  A few short years later I went on to complete my Level 3 Apprenticeship in business administration. 

I have worked within the motor trade for my whole career, working as a Sales Administrator for ten years and then in Accounts for the remainder.

I came back as an employee at the GTA in May 2021, working as an Administrator. 

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Tina Walmsley

English and Maths Tutor

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Hull born and bred, I attended university in Hull and gained a BA Hons in Business Studies. I continued my studies, gaining a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and qualified as a teacher in 2006.

Throughout my sixteen-year teaching career, I taught initially within primary schools and then taught English at a Hull secondary school.

Now I’m ready to take on the challenge of being a Maths and English Tutor at Motor Trades GTA and am look forward to supporting learners at the beginning of their careers. 

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