Meet the team - Sarah Kelly

Head of Apprenticeships

Sarah joined Thrive as Head of Apprenticeships in 2024, bringing 25 years of experience in the apprenticeship world. Her career has taken her across roles in quality, compliance, business development, and operations, giving her a well-rounded expertise in the sector. Sarah’s passion lies in supporting education professionals to grow and thrive in their careers, helping them to build the skills and confidence they need to succeed.

She initially studied business at The London College of Fashion with aspirations to become a buyer, but after joining Marks and Spencer as a management trainee, she discovered a love for working in training and development. Leading apprenticeship programmes and seeing people achieve their potential has been a driving force throughout her career.

One of her proudest achievements was setting up an apprenticeship programme for a multi-academy trust. During the Ofsted monitoring visit, the trust received the highest grade of ‘significant progress’ - a rare and meaningful success.

Outside of work, Sarah enjoys travelling and exploring local wines, a passion that started during her time in the wine buying and merchandising department at Marks and Spencer. She even earned a perfect score on a professional qualification with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust!