Lifetime appoints Jon Graham as Chief Executive Officer

Lifetime, the leading apprenticeship training provider, has appointed Jon Graham as Chief Executive Officer. With quality and compliance paramount, Jon’s focus will be on building a strong foundation to support its current employer partners and learners through a dynamic time in the apprenticeship sector.  

Jon, a qualified chartered accountant, has been involved in the education and training sector for over 30 years. He has held senior executive roles at JTL, a large independent training provider, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and Kaplan, a global education business. In addition, Jon sat on the Advisory Board and Audit and Risk Committee of the Skills Funding Agency (now ESFA) for six years and is currently a non-executive director of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) and The Education and Training Foundation (ETF). 

Jon comments, “Having spent most of my working life in education and training, this role at Lifetime felt like a natural step. I’ve seen the benefits of education for learners from all walks of life and I’m particularly passionate about the difference vocational education can make in terms of building futures and changing lives. I’ve already had the opportunity to meet some of Lifetime’s learners and employer partners and look forward to taking the business forward by continually improving their experience.” 

Lifetime is a leader in apprenticeship training across a number of sectors, including hospitality, retail, health and social care, IT and active leisure among others. Its employer partners include McDonald’s, Greene King, Mitchells and Butlers, Whitbread, B&Q, Iceland, the Civil Service and the NHS. With a looming cost of living crisis and many employers still feeling the effects of Brexit and COVID-19, Lifetime is well positioned to help raise the profile of apprenticeships so that they are seen as legitimate routes to rewarding careers and support employers wanting to invest in them.

“We know that our employer partners want to grow their apprenticeship numbers – significantly in some cases – over the next two to three years, so our focus at Lifetime is on how we support our existing client base. Our industry experience, customer service and data insight proposition are unsurpassed, but we must continue to ensure quality in everything that we do to drive successful learner outcomes,” continues Jon. 

It is Lifetime’s belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to learn theskills they need to realise their full potential. By creating a democracy of opportunity, anyone can access the outstanding skills training they need to thrive whilst supporting UK businesses to grow in value and performance.

Lifetime is committed to ensuring the highest standard of delivery within all core markets. Investment in cross-sector training provision, such as Leadership and Management and IT, allow it to continue supporting employer partners as their apprenticeship needs develop.