News & Updates

Interview: Claire Sheen

This week we discover why students are raving about our new Assistive Technology Trainer, Claire Sheen and how she approaches training.

Here’s a snapshot of our interview with Claire:

When did you start with Remtek Systems?

“I started my training with Remtek Systems 8 weeks ago in June 2023. The training process was very rigorous and gave me all the tools needed to deliver great training sessions for a range of students.”

Tell us about your training and what you learned

“The training was great. I undertook a 6-week training programme that involved shadowing all of the assistive technology trainers to see their different approaches to training. I gained a good understanding of all the software that we recommend and could see firsthand the range of students that we support including the different disabilities that our recommendations work for.

For me, it’s about recognising how you can engage each student and what software can be recommended to bridge gaps for them. It’s all about how we present the software and the different options to help improve outcomes for students. I could totally resonate with the lightbulb moment. It’s great seeing it all coming together for the students when they understand exactly how the recommendations are going to work for them and their studies.”

How long do training sessions take?

“Usually around 2 hours but students can apply to DSA for more hours if needed. We are always on hand if they have questions after their training and have a student website full of useful content to aid them after sessions.”

Can you talk us through working with the students and your recommendations?

“After chatting to a Student, I found out that she was anxious about attending lectures. I recommended that we start her training on Glean software as she had been awarded this from the DSA.

After the training, the student told me where and how the software would help her. It was totally amazing to hear her voice change. For me, I absolutely love Glean and wish that I had had access to it at university.

I really enjoy Clara Read, this is a great software that supports students who need help with reading and it looks and works well too.

Talktype is great too, I use this software myself a lot as it’s great for getting down ideas, helping with emails and even what I’m writing now.

But in all honesty, all of the software that Remtek Systems trains on and installs on people’s laptops is amazing. A lot of the time the software has been designed by someone who did not have it when they were at university and could have done with it. It all has a place in supporting students and employees in the workplace.

We can take so much weight off an individual’s shoulders with the right recommendations and it’s such a privilege to see the impact that the software can make on their studies and work.”

What is the most rewarding aspect of working with the students and making these recommendations?

For me the most rewarding aspects of the role so far have been:

• Working with all the other trainers at Remtek Systems.; gaining knowledge through their expertise and tips. I have been able to learn from their training styles on the software. I would have not gained a five-star review without their support!
• Having students open up about their learning needs and any gaps in which they would like software to support them. At this point, I already know the software they have and I will be listening out for anything that I can show them that will support them during their time in further education.

Our trainers

Claire recently received a 5 star review on her training from a very happy student who described “As I'm writing this I've just finished my first training session with Claire, and I genuinely couldn't be more impressed by the level of professionalism, care and kindness that she exhibited. She never made me feel that any of my questions were stupid or outlandish and was extremely accommodating at all times.

I felt so supported and heard the entire session, and I'm now super confident on the software we worked with today and will be looking forward to my further sessions.”

Charlotte kindly followed up on this feedback with some more great comments for Claire just yesterday:

"It's been 3 weeks since I first posted this review and I've just completed my final training session with Claire and I could not be more impressed. Claire is genuinely just the most lovely person and I am so happy that I was allocated her as my trainer. The sessions never felt dragged out or dull, and this is largely due to Claire's engaging teaching style and bubbly personality that just shines through in every session.

I cannot thank Claire enough for all of her help, and I can only commend her immense dedication and work ethic. You can tell that she's really passionate about her job and that makes a world of difference to the learning experience. Thank you so much for all of your support and training Claire, I appreciate it so much."

We caught up with Remtek Systems’ Director John Farrar to hear his thoughts on their Assistive Technology Trainers and the great feedback for new trainer, Claire.

“All of the qualities that Claire has demonstrated make for a great student experience which is what we are all about at Remtek Systems. We are always wanting our trainers to help students achieve the “lightbulb” moment and students have expressed that they are fully confident on the software that Claire has shown them. We aim to keep building on this momentum. Well done to Claire.”