A high school teacher who changed jobs to become a trainer in the adult care sector has made such a positive impact in her new role that she has been shortlisted for an award.
Aimee Green, from Cwmbran, took her teaching skills in a whole new direction when she joined the Expanding Horizons care organisation in March 2024.
Bosses have been so impressed with Aimee’s input that they put her name forward for recognition at the prestigious Wales Care Awards 2025.
The Oscars of social care pay tribute to front line heroes of the sector. They are organised by Care Forum Wales which represents more than 400 independent health and social care providers across the nation.
Winners will be revealed at a glittering dinner and ceremony at Holland House Hotel, Cardiff, on Friday, October 17. Meddyg Care is the overall sponsor for the evening.
Each person shortlisted in 20 different categories will receive either a gold, silver or bronze award. Aimee is shortlisted in the Commitment to Training and Workforce Development category, sponsored by City and Guilds.
Aimee said she is amazed to be among the finalists, especially such a short time after making what she says has been the biggest career move of her life.
She had taught in mainstream secondary school education for 15 years but felt it was time for a change.
She said: “I still loved teaching but having always taught in a school, I wanted a new challenge. When I learned of the opportunity with Expanding Horizons I instinctively felt it was just what I was looking for.”
Headquartered in Cwmbran, Expanding Horizons is a supported living provider and care home provider for people with learning difficulties and mental health diagnoses. Its teams work across 11 supported living services and a residential care home in Gwent.
Aimee originally joined the group as a Wellbeing and Workforce Development Officer, which included overseeing staff induction, career development courses and ongoing training.
She quickly settled in and bosses noticed such an upturn in training achievements that in March this year she was promoted to the role of People, Culture and Wellbeing Manager.
Expanding Horizons Managing Director Ali Cooling said the decision to nominate Aimee for a Wales Care Award was unanimous among the leadership team.
She said: “Despite being relatively new to our organisation, Aimee has made a remarkable impact in a short period. Her dedication to staff development, induction, and ongoing training has been transformative.
“One of Aimee’s standout achievements is her success in increasing the completion rates for mandatory and specialist training across our services. In just 12 months, she has elevated mandatory training compliance from 70% to an outstanding 97.3%. Even more impressively, non-mandatory classroom-based training has increased from 47% to 100%.
“This ensures our workforce is not only meeting required standards but also engaging in continuous professional development, enhancing the quality of care provided.”
Aimee heads up training for nearly 150 staff including support workers, the head office team, recruiter and rota coordinators, HR officer, and workforce development officer, while also leading on staff wellbeing.
Ali said: “Her leadership has ensured that workforce development remains at the heart of our service, ultimately improving the quality of care we provide.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have her on our team, and we wholeheartedly believe she deserves recognition for her outstanding contributions.”
Aimee’s innovations have included launching a wellbeing newsletter which celebrates staff achievements, provides practical wellbeing advice, and promotes training opportunities.
She has also set up league tables within the company, fostering friendly competition between services to drive motivation, accountability, and increase engagement levels.
Aimee has taken part in many training courses herself since joining Expanding Horizons, to ensure suitably qualified to deliver up to date training to their staff.
She said: “It’s important to keep abreast of new protocols and technologies across the sector. I want staff to feel confident in themselves but also in me as a trainer. I make sure that I am approachable and my door is always open for them to come to me with any issues or even ideas for new training initiatives.
“I’ve always known that teaching can make a real difference to people’s lives but working in the care sector adds a whole new dynamic to what we’re doing. It is hugely rewarding to help tailor training packages which enable our care teams to be skilled and confident enough to provide the best support they can for the most vulnerable people in our community. I feel so privileged to be a part of the Expanding Horizons team.”
Aimee was among hundreds of nominees across Wales whose names were put forward for a Wales Care Award before each was interviewed by a judging panel who drew up a shortlist of finalists.
She said: “I cannot believe that after such a short time in the job I’ve been shortlisted. I want to thank all my colleagues who’ve helped me find my feet and made me feel so at home here.”
Chair of Care Forum Wales, Mario Kreft MBE, said: “Care Forum Wales has been working tirelessly for more than 30 years to promote the social care sector.
“We established the Wales Care Awards to show our appreciation to the workforce and the wider sector for the remarkable and vitally important contribution everybody makes, day in, day out.
“The event underlines the importance of the social care sector. It is the glue that binds our communities together, both socially and economically.
“Our mission is to be the voice of social care in Wales to advocate on the sector’s behalf, holding truth to power in order to secure a fair deal to recognise the dedication of our front line heroes and heroines across our nation.
“If you don’t value the people who do the caring you will never provide the standards that people need and never recognise the value of the people who need care in society.
“Every single one of our finalists is a winner.”
