Lindiwe Mokoena
Lindiwe has 17 years of experience of teaching and managing in post-16 education and training, with a particular focus on implementing curriculum initiatives and driving quality improvements in teaching, learning and assessment. She began her career in Further Education working part-time teaching English as a Second Language and Study Skills to asylum seekers and refugees. By the time she left Further Education in 2006 she was managing a department in a large college. Since then she has continued to work in the post–16 education and training arena, managing the performance of a range of training providers, advising on ways to maximise funding and analysing data to inform funding and commissioning decisions. She has recently worked in a local authority as part of a 14–19 partnership team focussing on improving students’ results and performance at post-16. This has involved working with both schools, colleges, work-based learning providers and school federations.
Lindiwe has wide experience of strategic and operational management. A key element of her work has been managing improvements in teaching and learning in colleges and encouraging colleagues to adopt learner-centred approaches in their practice. She has successfully led on implementing learner-centred initial assessment systems and processes judged by Ofsted to be effective, comprehensive with capacity to be robust. Whilst working as a Partnership Manager at the Learning and Skills Council in East London( 2007 – 2010) she led on an employability skills training initiative and ran network meetings at which training providers in London East shared good practice and identified ways to improve their performance to meet contracted targets. Her most recent role in a local authority focussed on improving the borough’s performance at AS and A level as well as supporting initiatives to reduce the percentage of young people not in employment, education and training ( NEET).
Lindiwe is driven by the desire to provide all learners with quality, accessible education and training which is challenging and enables their progression into further education/training or employment. She brings a good-humoured, pragmatic, level-headed approach to solving problems.
At the moment Lindiwe is acting Post 16 Education Commissioner, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. She is managing the process of commissioning placements for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in Independent Specialist Colleges ( ISC). A key focus of her work is ensuring learners are offered curriculum and employment training opportunities that meet their interests and needs and support the achievement of their long term goals. She attends the London Councils LLDD working group and participates actively by contributing to pan-London LLDD protocols and quality assurance frameworks.