Senior National Trainers

Kelly Group is thrilled to introduce you to our Senior National Trainers Jeff West, Paul Russell, and Carl Diggins. With over 50+ training programs covered, our bespoke approach to training by our highly qualified in-house training team ensures each engineer has the skills and knowledge to maintain our reputation in delivering a first-class service for our partners and their customers.

The group’s North London National Training Centre can accommodate over 150 trainees per day and features a demonstration room, fibre practical room, copper practical room and several large classroom facilities.

Since the opening of Kelly Group’s National Training Centre, we have been honoured to welcome senior leadership teams from several key clients who were impressed by the significant investment in our training facilities and our intent to recruit and upskill talent. As a result, commercial clients are now approaching Kelly Group’s training department and enrolling their engineers to be trained by our in-house training team.

Jeff West – Senior National Trainer

My Journey so Far...

“I started my career within the telecoms industry as a copper engineer and joined Kelly Group as a national trainer 10 years ago. Currently, I am one of the three senior national trainers and lead assessor for our fibre courses. I am also responsible for the development of the group’s training material such as training documents and course material. I am happy to be an accomplished national trainer who can deliver most modules taught within the group nationwide. I have participated in a wide range of training courses myself throughout my career, which has given me an idea on the best methods of training delivery. I have an influence on the development of Kelly Group training programmes and I strive to design engaging training material that will keep trainees engaged and get important knowledge across.

In my opinion, the most challenging part of being a senior national trainer is also the best. Trainees usually arrive not knowing what to expect. Turning around these people’s mindset to believe that they can do this and build a successful career is the most rewarding part of their journey for me.

When a new product becomes available within the telecoms industry, I have an internal drive to immediately research the product and gain appropriate training, ensuring I can pass the knowledge on within our department.

Whatever the future holds, I would like to be involved at the forefront, ensuring we can continue to introduce innovative concepts as a group. Therefore, the biggest inspiration in my career are people who drive innovation within our industry.”

Paul Russell – Senior National Trainer

My Journey so Far...

“I joined Kelly Group in 2015 as a National Trainer. In February 2021 I was promoted into my current role which involves the training and development of Kelly Group’s national trainers, managing Kelly Group’s state-of-art National Training Centre in North London and operating as an Internal Verifier.

What I enjoy the most about my job is the variety of projects I can get involved with, some of these projects include hosting visits for the senior leadership teams of several major clients.

I even had the chance to support the marketing team with a video production project which was an interesting experience. There is always something new to learn in this industry, I still work on gaining more skills and knowledge on the latest courses available on the market. I also involve the rest of our national trainers in these training courses to support their development.

My ambition is to further develop our Training Department and gain all necessary accreditations needed to launch Kelly Group’s training courses for external trainees who are ready to take the first step to build a successful career within the telecoms industry.

I’d recommend joining Kelly Group as they’re continuously investing in the development of their workforce.”

Carl Diggins – Senior National Trainer

My Journey so Far...

“I joined Kelly Group 4 years ago as a National Trainer. I deliver courses for FTTP Engineers, Service Delivery Teams and Civils Engineers. Trainees complete a six-week-long induction course; on the third week of their course, engineers are taken on a practical training journey managed by me.

I start my week by welcoming a class of 5-20 engineers. Each day is carefully planned, we have various activities for our trainees, so it is important to keep to the schedule. When I’m not training new engineers, I’ll be completing assessments or Internal Verifications which is a certification that allows me to sign off engineer’s assessment forms that were marked by one of my colleagues.

I’m also the Senior National Trainer for Kelly Group’s St Helens and Nuneaton depots.

What I love the most about my job is the opportunity to get to know new people each week. Even when I deliver the same subjects back-to-back, I present them for different classes each week and no two classes are the same, which keeps the job exciting.

The biggest achievement in my career so far is gaining additional training qualifications and passing this knowledge onto our new recruits. The job is constantly changing due to the nature of the telecoms industry which keeps my role interesting - there is always something new to learn.

Before joining Kelly Group, I trained engineers for several telecommunications subcontractors and gained extensive knowledge in training Service Delivery. When the opportunity arose, I was glad to join the group as a National Trainer, however, to broaden my certifications I needed to complete a few courses to be able to deliver classes on FTTP and Civils subjects.

I would recommend joining Kelly Group for the sense of community. You always have someone to rely on and your colleagues will be supporting you throughout your career within the group.”

Top 5 Tips for Trainee Engineers by Kelly Group’s Senior National Trainers

1. Don't give up!

Especially those who join with no experience. There’s always going to be days when it feels challenging. Telecommunications is a trade in which you need to build on your experience - it will get much easier with time.

2. Look beyond your own bubble. 

When you work in the field you need to pay attention to pedestrians’ safety, you can’t block the full pavement.

3. Plan your job.

Look at the property and imagine how will you introduce the connection into the house.

4. Focus on your training. 

It is a great opportunity to gain qualifications. Engage with your training and you will leave the training department with a huge amount of knowledge ensuring your success.

5. Have a voice and ask questions. 

Don’t stay silent if you’re unsure and need help on your training journey – ask the question.

Kelly Group has multiple career opportunities throughout the UK. We are always searching for talented individuals to represent our brand.

For more information, please call the Kelly Recruitment team on 02084247447.

Alternatively, you can view current vacancies by visiting our careers page.