Over recent weeks, we’ve introduced you to some of our fantastic learners and clients, sharing their experiences, achievements and successes. Now, it’s time to shine the spotlight on the people who help make it all happen.

Welcome to our Meet the Team week!

Throughout the week, we’ll be introducing you to some of the faces behind Highland Learning Academy, giving you a little insight into their roles, what a typical day looks like, what they love about their work, and why they’re so passionate about supporting learners and employers across the Highlands and Islands.

From the behind-the-scenes work to those rewarding moments that make it all worthwhile, we’re looking forward to sharing a little more about the people who make HLA what it is.

First up, meet Catriona Jamieson, our Management Tutor, as she shares a glimpse into a day in the life of an HLA tutor.

#MeetTheTeam #HighlandLearningAcademy #HLA #Apprenticeships #TeamHLA #SkillsForTheFuture

Meet The Team

Cath Sutherland

Director

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Cath Sutherland is the original founder of the Highland Learning Academy. After 30 years of managing successful teams and as a multi award winning manager she completed her Post Graduate in Leadership & Management. She then used this to write, design and deliver programmes to develop managers at all levels of the organisation.

Her passion is to bring learning to those who have encountered challenges along the way to achieving or gaining a qualification. Her team work on a candidate led basis identifying each individuals barriers to learning and helping them to overcome and achieve.

Outside of work she spends her time with her family, dogs and avoiding cooking!

Louise Lemon

Commercial Lead

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Louise has played a key role in the growth of Highland Learning Academy in recent years and now serves as Director, leading on business development and customer engagement. With over 25 years’ experience in recruitment and business development, 20 of those within the Highlands business community. Louise brings deep industry insight and a strong local network.

Passionate about exceeding client expectations, Louise is committed to building and nurturing lasting relationships across a wide range of sectors and industries. A dedicated lifelong learner, she has completed her Diploma in Digital Marketing SCQF 7 and has achieved her Management qualification at SCQF Level 9.

Outside of work, Louise is a busy mum of two children who enjoys spending time outdoors and travelling the world.

Lynn Finnie

Learning Consultant

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Lynn’s experience as a Service Centre Manager means she brings a wide range of skills and expertise to the Highland Learning Academy. Her many years of account management experience means she is focused on achieving positive outcomes and delivering a tailored service to her candidates.

Lynn’s ability to create productive working relationships ensures that she supports learners and their employers through the whole Modern Apprenticeship process. Her determination is only matched by her love of a challenge. Her attention to detail ensures she delivers to a high standard.

Lynn is a real homebody, with a passion for crafts. She enjoys a good box set or watching darts on TV to relax.

John Carson

Learning Consultant

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We are delighted to introduce our new Digital Technology tutor John Carson. John has worked in the communication industry for over 25 years in various roles including IT support and Project Management. More recently specialising in Office 365 and working on the basic authentication migration for BT.

John has had a varied career and educational path. Spending his formative years in the food industry before studying Modern Music and Computer Aided Design at Thurso college.

A dedicated and vigilant professional John has always gravitated towards tutoring colleagues throughout his career in communication industry and moving to the education industry seems like a logical step.

Mae Kennedy

Learning Consultant

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Mae has recently joined Highland Learning Academy as our newest Management Coach. A qualified Chartered Tax Advisor, she has spent her career working in industry and accounting practice as a Tax Manager, where she loved helping teams to grow and succeed, with a strong focus on training and development.

Her passion for people really flourished when she helped launch the mentoring programme MCR Pathways in the Highlands as Programme Manager and mentor. Seeing young people thrive and achieve their full potential sparked Mae’s commitment to creating opportunities for learners of all backgrounds. She’s especially interested in different learning styles and is dedicated to making sure every learner feels supported and empowered.

With strong connections across both private and public sector organisations, Mae is excited to share her experiences and insights with learners at Highland Learning Academy.

Outside of work, Mae is happiest exploring the Highlands, camping (while dodging the midges!), and enjoying adventures with her husband, two young daughters, and their lively spaniel.

Catriona Jamieson

Learning Consultant

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Catriona has recently joined the team as Management Consultant and brings with her over 25 years’ experience in Learning and Development and Leadership. As a Fellow of the CMI, her wealth of experience covers various industries with a large emphasis on this being within the Food and Drink Industry Sector.

Her career started serving with HM Forces both within the UK and abroad and then in an HR role in the University sector before working within the further education. Catriona’s passion for Learning and Development comes from seeing learners achieve their qualifications and welcomes working with employers to develop courses to achieve tangible outcomes to develop from within and provide career opportunity.

As a keen traveller (when budget’s allow), she likes to travel and explore new cultures and in her spare time likes walking on the long-distance trails around Scotland with her partner – although still to tackle the West Highland Way!

Willie MacColl

Learning Associate

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Willie is an Organisational Development Consultant with extensive experience gained from working across a range of businesses and organisations in different sectors. He has particular interests in Strategic Development, and Workforce Engagement in its widest sense.

Aside from holding many Operational roles throughout his career, Willie has worked for more than 20 years at a strategic level, in the UK and across Europe. In a consulting capacity, he has successfully supported commercial businesses and 3rd sector organisations as well as Public sector bodies. In 2022, Willie received the top honour at the national CHeRries awards in recognition of his contribution to businesses across Scotland..

Neil Harkin

Learning Associate

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Neil is an experienced Training Consultant focused primarily on Project and Programme Controls skills. This includes Planning & Scheduling, Project Risk Management and other elements such as Estimating, Quality and Document Control.

Neil’s career started in manufacturing having spent many years implementing process control systems for the food & drink processing industry before making a conscious move into IT services & projects. After 6 years in IT commercial roles Neil became heavily involved in the end-user engagement and training elements of much larger international ITprojects.

These included major technology driven change management projects and the deployment of complex maintenance management and planning systems for clients in the Oil & Gas, Nuclear and Rail sectors over a 15 year period before moving onto coaching and training to support the development of project management & project controls skills.

Neil is a full member of APM (MAPM), part of APM’s volunteer network, has achieved APM PPQ status, holds APM PMQ and APM Risk certification and is working towards chartered status (ChPP). Neil is also an APMG PRINCE2 Practitioner, APMG Project Planning & Control Practitioner, CompTIA Project+ certified and is a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist on their Microsoft Project Server suite. He recently achieved the Learning & Performance Institute’s Essential Online Delivery Skills certificate, Microsoft’s Certified Educator accreditation and regularly designs and delivers interactive Live On-line Learning sessions.

It’s time to meet our team! – Catriona Jamieson