May 19, 2026 - 162 views
A care training academy supporting thousands of workers across North and Mid Wales has appointed a new manager amid growing demand for skilled carers.
The Pendine Park care organisation, which has care homes in Caernarfon and Wrexham, said Jenna Evans will lead the Pendine Academy of Social Care which trains up to 3,000 people from 30 care providers across the region every year.
The academy, founded to raise standards in the care sector, delivers qualifications and specialist training for both Pendine’s 800-strong workforce and external health and social care organisations.
Ms Evans, who has worked in the care sector for 23 years and joined Pendine nine years ago, said she wants to expand opportunities for learners while helping the academy maintain “exceptional training standards”.
Pendine Park proprietor Mario Kreft MBE said he was delighted to announce Jenna’s appointment.
He said: “Jenna has more than proved herself to be a skilled, visionary and outstanding member of our team since she joined Pendine Park nine years ago.
“We are confident she has all the skills needed to lead and further develop our training programmes into the future.”
Pendine launched its own training academy in the 1990s and moved into its current base on Wrexham Technology Park a decade ago.
The academy offers a virtual training centre featuring realistic recreations of a residents’ lounge, bedroom and dining area.
Jenna, 42, leads a team of five fully qualified assessors and was previously the academy’s deputy manager, supporting her predecessor Ann Serridge who retired recently. set by Ann.
She said: “I’m excited to continue strengthening the academy, supporting my team, and expanding opportunities for learners across North Wales.
“The Pendine Academy of Care has a strong foundation and I’m committed to building on that to ensure we continue to deliver exceptional training that makes a difference.”
She said she is proud to be employed by Pendine Park where her sister, Katie Evans, also works as a nurse at Penybryn care home in Summerhill Road, Wrexham.
Jenna said: “My role includes overseeing Pendine Park’s internal training for more than 800 staff, covering all of the company’s eight care homes.
“But more than that – our learners come not only from Pendine’s own workforce but from more than 30 external care homes and domiciliary care providers across North Wales.
“It means we really are establishing an enviable benchmark of high standards of social care right across the region.”
Jenna added: “From the moment I joined Pendine nearly a decade ago I have been consistently impressed by the group’s commitment to maintaining and improving on standards of care, not just meeting new challenges but facing them head on, ensuring the highest level of service for our clients and offering carers a valuable route to career progression – that goal is at the forefront of everything we do here.”
Among its ongoing programmes The Pendine Academy of Care delivers level 2 and 3 Health and Social Care qualifications to around 150 learners and has its own assessors who deliver Communication and Application of Number qualifications at levels one and two.
Jenna herself has worked in the care sector for 23 years, starting out in the field of dementia care provision at the age of just 19.
She said: “Those early experiences shaped my belief in the importance of compassion, consistency of care, and high quality training.
“I’ve always had a strong interest in teaching and supporting care staff and I’m passionate about helping people develop the skills they need to deliver first class care.
“ I was incredibly fortunate to be mentored by Ann whose dedication and commitment to quality shaped the Academy into what it is today,
“Now she has retired I feel privileged to be following in her footsteps. They are big shoes to fill but I am fully committed to carrying on her legacy of excellence and ensuring the high standards she championed remain at the heart of everything we do.”
According to Jenna, one of the most rewarding parts of her job is seeing learners grow in confidence and achieve things they never thought possible, whether they are completely new to the care sector or furthering their career progress, taking on new challenges.
She is proud that a number of trainees have secured prestigious awards over recent years, including one of her own learners, Emily Satterthwaite, who won the 2025 Coleg Cambria Learner of the Year award.
Another, Bethan Mascarenhas, was selected by the Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers to receive its City and Guilds Livery Company Prize for outstanding achievement in 2023.
Jenna said: “Supporting learners to reach that level of achievement is something I’m incredibly proud of.
“I’m incredibly fortunate to lead a fantastic team of assessors and admin staff who consistently go above and beyond. Their professionalism, dedication and commitment to high standards play a vital role in supporting every learner to succeed and ensuring the Academy continues to deliver exceptional quality.”
She added: “As Academy Manager my priorities are clear, maintaining high standards, promoting strong brand values, and supporting the well-being of our staff, our learners and the individuals they care for. Quality training has a direct impact on the lives of vulnerable people, and that responsibility is at the heart of everything we do.”
Away from work Jenna lives in Wrexham with her partner, Gavin Adamson, who works with a housing company, and their son, Dylan, 16, who is studying for his GCSEs and has his sights set on a career in engineering.
