Meet Vikki Sylvester – Founder & CEO, Acacia Training
Vikki Sylvester is the founder and CEO of award-winning education provider, Acacia Training. Co-founding the business at the age of just 21, Vikki is passionate about achieving accessible learning for all, especially for those who are disproportionately affected and hit hardest by the employment market, such as women, youth, minority groups, and disabled people.
Acacia Training has been supporting the development of learners for over 20 years and is committed to making a difference locally, nationally and globally. The business supports adult learners to grow their skills through apprenticeships, traineeships and other educational programmes, with specialisms in Adult Health & Social Care and Children & Young People’s Services.
Tell us a bit about yourself, background and your current role
After dropping out of college as I found it wasn’t for me, I started work in a care home, and from there, began my training to become a nurse. Once I’d qualified, I started by supporting the teaching of trainee nurses and healthcare workers on the ward I was on at the North Staffordshire Hospital. It was here that led me down the education path.
At that time, my mum was a nurse working in the private sector and had a vision that she wanted to deliver education to the care home she was working in as day release wasn’t working for them. Together, we set up Acacia Training in 1999. It started out as our side-hustle but quickly got more and more attention through Business Link, the government-funded business advice service.
I decided to stop nursing when I was 21 and pursued Acacia Training as a full time position. I have been here ever since – 22 years! Since my Mum retired, I moved from my Operations Director role to becoming CEO and the business has gone from strength to strength ever since.
Did you ever sit down and plan your career?
No, I had careers advice at school, but I never had any idea of where I wanted to go until I entered the world of work. When I started in the care sector, I realised that was my calling. I never thought in a million years I would find myself in the education sector.
I still haven’t got a ‘plan’ for my career – I enjoy the excitement of not knowing what will happen next. I like to seek out opportunities that I’m passionate about and follow those paths – education, business growth, social care and ESG primarily. I don’t know where I will be in the future, and that’s actually just how I like it.
Have you faced any challenges along the way?
Over the years, I have faced many challenges – though I didn’t see them as challenges at the time. That was just the way of the world and they were hurdles I had to overcome.
On reflection, it’s certainly not easy being a business owner, especially in the early phases. In particular, when I was younger, it was difficult to be taken seriously in such a male-dominated business space.
During any career there will continue to be ups and downs, but with each stumble, you learn something for the next steps. I relish in a challenge and enjoy making a difference to the world through change – it makes all the difficulties worthwhile when you can look back at the progress you’ve made. Our business is consistently making a difference to people’s lives so it’s easy to look back and be proud of how we’ve developed. New challenges will always come but there will be new rewards to be reaped.
What has been your biggest achievement to date?
Our biggest achievement has been the difference we’ve made to underrepresented and undervalued sectors, in particular the care sector, and the genuine effort that we put in to ensuring education is accessible to everyone.
The care sector is one of the hardest sectors to work within as a training provider, but we have stayed loyal and kept up our hard work and the result has been the upskilling and retention of 60,000+ people in the care sector.
Those are the biggest achievements for me. I want to be able to look back and think that it was worth my time on the planet, being here to make a difference and inspire others to do the same.
What one thing do you believe has been a major factor in you achieving success?
Always looking for what we CAN do. I make a conscious effort to ensure I don’t get drawn into negativity or dwell on the past. Even in the toughest times, I will put trust in others and keep a positive mindset as much as physically possible. I believe this makes a huge difference in my leadership and the mindset of the people I work with. It makes us solution finders and drives us to always find the answers through our hard work.
How do you feel about mentoring? Have you mentored anyone or are you someone’s mentee?
Mentoring can be a fantastic learning tool if you find the right person to coach you! They can teach new ways of thinking, as well as providing valuable advice and knowledge. Personally, the best mentors I’ve had experience with have encouraged me to take a step back from my work and change my perspective.
In turn, I have mentored many people over the years, both inside and outside of Acacia Training, from those I taught in my nursing days, to those who have started their own businesses.
If you could change one thing to accelerate the pace of change for Gender Equality, what would it be?
For men to understand their value in supporting the change for Gender Equality. Over the years I have had many male role models and mentors, probably more so than I have had female, as that is the way the world around me appeared (and how it can still look to this day).
When men have reached out their hand and offered a step up, they have been changemakers in enabling me to progress. Sometimes there are barriers, but if men realise their worth in enabling change and listening to the challenges women face in their working lives, together we can make the world a better place at a much faster pace.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self what would it be
Trust yourself! I have had spells in my career where I have received too much advice and become overwhelmed by it. I’ve put too much pressure on myself to do what others think is right, rather than trusting my gut. I had a tendency to be indecisive when I was younger, but now I would be less frightened of making the wrong decision and more so of making no decision at all. Every time I have made a ‘wrong’ decision, it has turned into a learning opportunity – a gift for the next stage.
What is your next challenge and what are you hoping to achieve in the future?
My main focus is growing the business. One thing that is close to my heart is ESG. I’m passionate about how critical the education sector is to facilitate changes within this sector.
We don’t know what we don’t know – meaning if we aren’t educating people, we can’t expect people to know what to do. Currently, my biggest challenge is asking people to realise this. There will always be resistance when trying to prove how important Environmental, Social and Governance issues are, though it’s a challenge I relish in and am keen to continue working on.
