Our coaches, quality staff and management team bring decades of combined industry experience. Every member holds the qualifications and clearances required to work with apprenticeship learners.
Claire leads the training strategy at PLUMS Limited and holds ultimate responsibility for programme quality, ESFA compliance and all curriculum content. Before joining PLUMS, she spent seven years as a senior assessor and internal quality assurer for City & Guilds and three years as a curriculum lead at a further education college in Luton.
She is the organisation's Responsible Officer for the RoATP contract and leads all Ofsted preparation and inspection coordination. Claire is also the organisation's designated point of contact for IfATE and ESFA queries.
Marcus spent 18 years as a working barber — first in London's Shoreditch before relocating to Luton, where he built and eventually sold a two-chair barbershop. He joined PLUMS Limited in 2019 to bring his hands-on commercial expertise directly to learners.
Marcus delivers the Level 2 Barbering Professional pathway (ST0043) across Bedfordshire and North Hertfordshire. His learners achieved a 100% EPA pass rate in 2023–24, with 72% at Merit or Distinction. He specialises in clipper work, skin fade techniques and traditional wet shaving, and regularly attends industry events to keep his practice current.
Priya trained at a highly regarded central London salon before spending 14 years building her career as a senior colourist, specialising in balayage, lived-in colour and Brazilian blowouts. She transitioned into skills coaching in 2017 following a period as a freelance educator for a professional colour brand.
Priya delivers both the Level 2 Hair Professional (ST0045) and Level 3 Advanced Creative Hair Professional (ST0014) pathways. She leads the EPA preparation workshop programme across all PLUMS learners approaching gateway, running mock assessments, portfolio clinics and professional discussion practice sessions.
Diane oversees all quality assurance activity at PLUMS Limited. This includes internal quality assurance of learner assessments, production of the annual Self-Assessment Report (SAR) and Quality Improvement Plan (QIP), management of the complaints and appeals procedure, and coordination of Ofsted inspection readiness.
Diane chairs the monthly quality board and leads on all ESFA compliance returns and audit preparation. She is also the organisation's Designated Safeguarding Lead, holding Level 3 safeguarding training and managing all safeguarding records and referrals.
Jordan joined PLUMS Limited after nine years working in salons across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, most recently as a senior stylist and junior manager at a multi-branch salon group. Jordan's coaching approach focuses heavily on client communication and retail skills, which are consistently highlighted in learner survey feedback.
Jordan supports delivery of the Level 2 Hair Professional pathway and assists Priya with Level 3 delivery and portfolio workshops. Jordan is currently completing the Level 4 Certificate in Education & Training.
Aisha manages the admissions process from first enquiry through to enrolment, ensuring every prospective learner receives accurate, impartial information, advice and guidance before committing to a programme. She coordinates initial assessments, employer matching for learners without a placement, and the learner induction programme.
Aisha is also the primary point of contact for learner welfare and wellbeing referrals, and manages PLUMS Limited's relationships with local schools, colleges and career services for outreach purposes.
These values are not a branding exercise — they inform every coaching decision, every curriculum choice and every conversation with a learner or employer partner.
We only teach what the industry actually requires. Our curriculum is built around what real salons and barbershops need from qualified staff — not theoretical competency frameworks. Our coaches are working professionals who speak from direct experience.
Completion rates and EPA grades matter, but not as much as the person behind them. We refuse to push learners through gateway who are not ready, and we refuse to enrol applicants who are unlikely to benefit from or complete the programme.
We give employers honest feedback about their apprentice's progress — positive and developmental. We do not hide performance concerns. Employers receive regular written progress summaries and direct access to their apprentice's Skills Coach.
Our SAR and QIP are genuine working documents, not compliance exercises. Every year we identify specific, measurable improvements and hold ourselves accountable for delivering them. If our performance dips, we say so publicly and explain what we are doing about it.
Safeguarding is not a box-tick. Every member of our team holds enhanced DBS clearance and completes regular safeguarding training. Our DSL is accessible to learners directly, not just through their coach. Concerns are always acted on.
We believe in the hair and beauty sector and in the value of vocational education. We work actively with HABIA, the NHF and local schools to promote hairdressing and barbering as genuinely rewarding career pathways, not fallback options.
All PLUMS Limited Skills Coaches are required to complete a minimum of 30 hours of continuing professional development per year. This includes vocational CPD — active participation in the hair industry through attending trade shows, completing product training, or working in a salon environment — as well as pedagogical CPD covering new apprenticeship standards, assessment practice and educational research. CPD records are maintained by the Quality Assurance Manager and reviewed annually as part of the self-assessment process.