Your Career. Our Priority.
Here at EMA Training, we are confident that we provide the best support to apprentices within the East Midlands.
As an organisation, we believe that the most effective training for apprentices is through face-to-face, trainer-led delivery, supplemented by mentoring in their place of work. This blended approach helps to develop not just the apprentice’s technical skills, but also softer skills around communication, confidence and relationship building.
Our Trainers and Mentors join EMA with either years of experience within the Finance, Marketing and Data sectors, or as a progression path following the completion of their apprenticeships. This allows them to effectively guide and mentor apprentices in becoming the best they can be.
In addition to apprenticeship provision, EMA also offer commercial training programmes in Accountancy, in addition to being an official AAT exam centre for external assessments.
EMA Training has been fortunate to work with the local businesses around us and witness the positive impact apprentices have to these businesses. It’s a rewarding position to be in, and we are very proud of all of our apprentices.
+1000
applicants placed
£16000
average first year apprentice salary
+12 years
of hard graft
150+
Google 5* Reviews
Our values represent our past, present and future as a business. We will continue to provide a second to none service, collaborating with both apprentices and employers to impact the local economy and ensure our apprentices are supported in reaching their full potential.
Tracey is the Managing Director of EMA Training – having started this company in 2013! Having been an apprentice herself, she knows first-hand the potential it provides a young person during the first few years of their chosen career and the Return on Investment it adds to a local business. Tracey’s favourite quote is “As soon as something stops being fun, I think it’s time to move on. Life is too short to be unhappy, waking up stressed and miserable isn’t a good way to live.”
Matt is the Account Director for EMA; his prime focus is to drive the business forward by generating and sustaining relationships with local employers. Matt describes working in the apprenticeship industry as exciting, challenging, engaging and very rewarding, he would describe himself as personable, enthusiastic and friendly.
Having worked alongside EMA Training since 2013, Laura Barber has supported the business in ‘all things compliance’.
Recognising not only Laura’s impact on our internal team but the apprenticeship sector as a whole, we are excited to introduce this new role for Laura to step into.
Laura’s vast knowledge and years of experience make her the ideal person to lead as a Director of the business, and we know she will progress on to do EMAzing things!
With over 20 years’ experience in marketing and business, Gemma brings a wealth of expertise to EMA Training. Her career spans from sports marketing with Leicester Tigers and Donington Park Racing, to founding and successfully selling her own marketing agency after seven years.
At EMA, Gemma strategically supports the marketing team and leads on all-important partnerships in the region – including the biggest business-to-business exhibition in the East Midlands; Love Business Expo.
Alongside her role, she is proud to serve as Chair Trustee of the Bodie Hodges Foundation, a Leicestershire-based charity supporting families bereaved of a child.
As the Chair of the Board, my primary responsibility is to oversee and ensure that EMA effectively fulfils its functions. I am tasked with both facilitating and scrutinising the actions of the senior leadership team to enhance the quality of services provided to apprentices. A key focus is on prudent allocation of public funds. Moreover, our emphasis lies in empowering apprentices for making informed decisions in both their personal and professional lives. Managing these responsibilities amidst various challenges requires our utmost dedication and effort.
Paula has worked within the apprenticeship and education sector for 22 years delivering business, customers services, sports and finance payroll.
For 12 years she worked for a charity organisation within a football club for 12 years managing the Finances and Education department. Interacting with the learners and being able to build new curriculum for the Payroll qualification are some of her favourite things about her job role.
Adill is EMA’s AAT Trainer. He has a strong passion towards training learners in the direction of achieving and exceeding their potential; ensuring each learner feels valued, successful and knowledgeable to take on the next steps of their career. His passion towards accounting, alongside his commitment to achieving successful outcomes for learners, means every lesson is delivered with aptitude and a desire to be an industry leading trainer.
Since doing an apprenticeship at EMA, Zoe enjoyed the coursework side, so took the opportunity to get involved with EMA as an Accountancy Mentor. Being a Mentor interested her, due to the fact she gets to support and guide learners to achieve their goals: Zoe finds this the most rewarding part of her role. Zoe is a brilliant reflection of the EMA values, working with her apprentices to better understand and support them throughout her time with them.
Jordan was initially drawn to working in the apprenticeship industry to help young apprentices get started in their finance careers. Having started as an apprentice himself, over 7 years ago, Jordan feels he has a unique insight into the difficulties and rewards of going down the apprenticeship route.
Jordan loves the fast-pace of the apprenticeship industry, and shared that he has enjoyed being a part of EMA’s growth! Outside of work, Jordan loves socialising with his friends and playing his guitar.
Philippa (Pip), is compassionate, honest, and determined, and brings all of that and her expertise to EMA to help our apprentices achieve their goals. After years in big corporate environments, Pip was drawn to EMA Training’s friendly atmosphere, full of support from colleagues and management. Pip thrives in a fast-paced environment and makes a meaningful impact on all the apprentices she teaches.
Outside of work, Pip is passionate about nature, wildlife photography, and creating a haven for garden wildlife—she even had a weasel visit recently! Pip’s favourite quote reminds us of the importance of kindness: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
Having been a marketing apprentice with EMA, Calum was eager to stay in the apprenticeship industry as a Trainer. Alongside completing the Level 4 CIM qualification, Calum started working with Level 3 Marketing Apprentices, supporting the start of their apprenticeship journeys.
Calum loves to travel and has been able to follow his passions all over the country alongside his identical twin brother.
After spending half her career in practice, in London, Katherine learnt to quickly adapt to changing client needs, learning about different business models and industries, and focusing on technical excellence – working on the introduction of new standards IFRS 15, IFRS 16, and my favourite, IFRS 9, were the topics of the day.
With a love for both financial and management accounting, and a hometown of Nottingham, Katherine made the leap to working in industry and moving back to the East Midlands. It was great to move from being an outsider to truly working in the heart of the business and shaping the business.
Katherine always wanted to have a broad and varied career, and just couldn’t ignore the pull to teaching, so following ex-colleague Pip to EMA Training to work as an accountancy trainer was a natural next step.
Outside of work, I try to spend as many weekend days exploring the Peak District with my husband and dog as I can!
With 17 years’ experience working across a diverse range of industries, Jess brings a deep, practical understanding of real-world finance to her role at EMA Training. Her varied career has allowed her to gain valuable insight into how different businesses operate, and she now channels this expertise into supporting the next generation of accounting professionals.
As an Accountancy Mentor for AAT apprentices, she guides learners through their programmes, helping them build confidence, develop technical skills, and prepare for successful careers in the finance sector.
Alongside her role, she is a proud advocate for Type 1 Diabetes awareness, inspired by her daughter’s diagnosis nearly two years ago. Her passion for supporting others – both professionally and personally – underpins everything she does.
Derek has over 40 years of experience in accountancy, consultancy and business which he uses to bring real-life examples and experience to his training classes. After gaining a degree in English at Cambridge University he qualified as a Chartered Accountant with a ‘big 4’ accountancy firm, before embarking on a career in industry.
He then transitioned into management consultancy where, as well as leading large transformation projects, he developed a passion for training and development. This led to him running his own training and consultancy company for many years. At EMA Training he has come full circle, and enjoys combining an engaging and interactive learning environment with financial and accounting discipline.
Pooja holds an MBA in Finance and brings over 5 years of experience working in payroll, both in-house and within bureau environments. She has developed deep expertise in payroll systems, compliance and statutory regulations, alongside a strong commitment to accuracy and professional standards.
Currently, Pooja is a our Payroll and Business Administration Trainer and Mentor, where she combines her technical knowledge with a passion for inclusive, learner-centered teaching. She supports apprentices in developing practical skills and professional confidence, drawing on creative instructional methods and real-world scenarios to make complex processes accessible.
Her work reflects a dedication to professional development and to raising the visibility of payroll as a valued discipline within business education.
Kerry is the longest serving employee with EMA Training Limited and has been responsible for a number of key areas, such as the delivery of apprenticeship recruitment and employee process development. Kerry loves that EMA wants to make the right choices and decisions for both staff and students, whilst wanting to make a positive impact on the local economy along the way.
With over 5 years’ experience within the Apprenticeship sector, Abby is a fantastic addition to our Quality and Compliance team.
Abby’s favourite quote is “A winner is a dreamer who never gave up”, and she reflects this ethos within her day-to-day role. Working directly with our Apprenitceships Director, Abby is a fantastic support to the business and her team.
Hardworking and organised, Jess has flourished in her recruitment role! Supporting the Recruitment Manager on a day to day basis, Jess is making a huge positive impact to the department and business. With a passion for clay pigeon shooting, Jess is proud of her involvemnet within the shotgun shooting community and is excited to progress within competitions.
Rosie is outgoing, genuine and supportive; her experience with EMA has been a journey full of opportunity and happiness. She has never worked for an employer who cares as much about their team as EMA do; she loves how she is appreciated for everything she does. She is proud of herself for joining a completely new industry aged 19 with no experience and within 12 months being promoted to “Trainee Finance Manager”.
Tina has worked in many industries: NHS as an Assistant Practitioner in Radiography, Sports Massage therapy and as a climbing instructor. As well as admin in an apprenticeship provider whilst completing her own business admin apprenticeship where she discovered her love for working in the apprenticeship industry. Tina is the welcoming face for EMA, and touching on her range of experience, she is the ideal person to fulfil this role!
Beckie is the Apprentice Learning Support Coach here at EMA. Beckie works on a one-to-one basis with apprentices in the workplace, providing supportive and developmental feedback. Previously, Beckie was part of the ICT trade in the RAF for 12 years and ended her career with them instructing at the defence college at RAF Cosford. Following this, she has worked for apprenticeship providers throughout the Midlands offering help and support to those starting their careers. Beckie feels apprenticeships are an educational pathway that can bring out the best in anyone.
Angela is hardworking and friendly and looking forward to helping the next generation of young adults achieve great things in an ever-growing industry. Being EMA’s Business Administrator, Angela always has something to be doing; meaning she always sees achievement. She loves to see candidates progress.
Michael’s day-to-day role varies from IT work to Marketing, it is very varied and rewarding. After joining EMA as an Apprentice Michael has many things to be proud of, whether that’s passing his Level 3 DST with a distinction or taking on a full-time role with Digital Support and Facilities.
Stuart (Stu) is EMA’s Marketing Manager. Having started as a trainer mentor for our marketing apprenticeships, he has now stepped back into operational marketing, a passion of his. If you’ve seen something on our website, socials, emails, a billboard or magazine, chances are Stu has had some part to play in it being there.
He is also the person to contact if you want to know more about collaborating with EMA Training or Love Business Expo.
Previously, Beckie was part of the ICT trade in the RAF for 12 years and ended her career with them instructing at the defence college at RAF Cosford. She knew she wanted to enter the teaching/training arena after leaving. Since then, she has worked for apprenticeship providers throughout the Midlands offering help and support to those staring their careers. She feels apprenticeships are an educational pathway which can bring out the best in anyone.
Paula has worked within the apprenticeship and education sector for 22 years delivering business, customers services, sports and finance payroll. For 12 years she worked in a charity organisation within a football club for 12 years managing the finances and education department. Interacting with the learners and being able to build a new curriculum for the Payroll qualification are some of her favourite things about her job role.
Having worked alongside EMA Training since 2013, Laura Barber has supported the business in ‘all things compliance’.
Recognising not only Laura’s impact on our internal team but the apprenticeship sector as a whole, we are excited to introduce this new role for Laura to step into.
Laura’s vast knowledge and years of experience make her the ideal person to lead as a Director of the business, and we know she will progress on to do EMAzing things!
Jordan was initially drawn to working in the apprenticeship industry to help young apprentices get started in their finance careers. Having started as an apprentice himself, over 7 years ago, Jordan feels he has a unique insight into the difficulties and rewards of going down the apprenticeship route.
Jordan loves the fast-pace of the apprenticeship industry, and shared that he has enjoyed being a part of EMA’s growth! Outside of work, Jordan loves socialising with his friends and playing his guitar.
