I work regularly as an associate trainer both creating my own content and running with that created by the provider.
I have been a trainer for my whole career from my original Staff Training Manager role with Safeway through to the bespoke workshops I run for clients now, via various corporate training roles including National Training Manager for Staples UK.
I have wide ranging business and training experience coupled with a particular skill in facilitation enabling me to confidently work with clients where the learning experience is intended to be less structured, allowing for flexibility in the moment.
Current Specialisms
- employee engagement
- leadership and management
- productivity
- wellbeing and resilience
- digital
- engaging remote workers
- facilitating focus groups, strategy planning etc (ie where there is flexibility and little in the way of an agenda)
Recent work with one client has involved
Recent work with one client, as an example, has included workshops in transformational leadership, employee engagement, empowerment, innovation, digital transformation and engaging remote workers, as well as facilitating a strategy day and running focus groups and action learning sessions.
Previous training experience includes: coaching, social media, online marketing, customer service, communication, recruitment, health and safety, train the trainer.
You can see my LinkedIn profile here.
Sectors and industries I’ve worked in, and with, include retail, hospitality, motor, manufacturing, not for profit, public sector (NHS, Universities, local government), not for profit.
I’m experienced in providing online training as well as face to face.
Facilitation

Jo did a great job for us facilitating a series of team leader and manager workshops we delivered for Volkswagen Financial Services.
With the objective of raising awareness among managers of the impact of their own behaviour on the engagement and performance of their teams, Jo really brought the topic to life with a great mix of theory and practical insights from her own broad business experience. And of course her whistle kept us all on track!
A Leadership Development Commissioner’s dream!

Jo is inventive, reactive and proactive. She uses appropriate and realistic case studies, references to research and thought provoking activities to maximise experiential learning. Gets to the heart of the organisation. Such an asset for culture change.
National Housing Federation

‘Jo Dodds was brilliant, really set the informal, excited mood’
‘Thoroughly engaging event and a great mix of theory and practice. It’s great that you invited speakers from outside the sector. My particular highlights were the housing finance and the data presentations, they were very well pitched and balanced well.’
‘Excellent event with loads of golden nuggets which makes you think about your leadership style, very worthwhile event.’
‘Absolutely amazing experience. Met some great people and everyone was friendly, approachable and willing to listen. I did not want to come home.’