Caroline Cooksley, who studied at Glamorgan University, started her career with ACT in 1991 and has since dedicated her entire working life to helping others achieve their career potential. In addition to her leadership role at ACT, Caroline is also a Trustee for the children’s charity Bobath, as well as school governor at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr. The MBE award recognises Caroline’s achievements for contributing in an outstanding way to putting education at the heart of social mobility, raising standards and improving lives.
The mother of four, along with her husband Andrew, who is CEO of ACT, have made ACT into one of the UK’s most successful training companies. Celebrating its 30th birthday last year, ACT has been responsible for supporting more than 62,000 young people in Wales to realise their career ambitions. Since opening its doors in Cardiff in 1988, ACT has expanded its reach to several centres across South Wales and has also set up 2 independent schools, offering life-changing programmes for 11-16 year-olds who are disengaged from mainstream education.
In 2018, ACT were also awarded the ‘Responsible Large Business of the Year 2018’ by Business in the Community Cymru and were also named as one of the UK’s top employers in the prestigious Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work for in both 2019 and 2018. In addition, ACT’s other accolades include being awarded 7th best IIP (Investors in People) Gold Company in the world.
Speaking about the award Caroline commented, “I’m truly humbled to receive this award and am so proud of what ACT has achieved over the past 30 years. I work with a brilliant and passionate group of people who are all dedicated to helping improve the lives of others, and that’s what ACT is all about. I look forward to ensuring that ACT continues to have a positive impact on our learners, helping them become healthier, happier and more engaged citizens.”
