Meet the team
Our Skills Academy team is made up of highly experienced staff who deliver our courses and workshops across Scotland.
Colette Lowe, Service Delivery Manager
Colette has over 15 years' experience operating in the third sector, the majority of which has been spent in Learning and Development. Over this time, she has developed a high level of skill in designing and facilitating development courses to all levels and across all sectors. Colette has worked with LinkLiving for over eight years and is responsible for the management and development of LinkLiving Skills Academy. She is a qualified SQA Assessor & Internal Verifier and acts as the Centre Co-ordinator for all SQA activity within Link Academy. Additionally, Colette is an Insights Discovery Licenced Practitioner, enabling her to deliver powerful self-awareness and team development workshops.
Colette has a particular interest in leadership and is a strong advocate for taking a trauma-informed approach. Colette currently sits on Link Group’s Employee Engagement Forum and Wellbeing Group. As a trained Values Based Reflective Practice (VBRP®) facilitator, Colette provides reflective practice sessions for LinkLiving services.
Outside of work, Colette is passionate about community involvement and has held various voluntary positions over the years. Examples include Independent Custody Visitor for the Scottish Police Authority, Board Member for Addiction Support and Counselling (ASC) Forth Valley and Mentor as part of the MCR Pathways programme. At present, Colette has a young family that takes up whatever spare time there is left!
Natalie Graham, Skills Academy Facilitator
Natalie has played a key role at LinkLiving for over ten years, designing and delivering both accredited and non-accredited training to the people we support and to professional staff across Scotland. She leads on the design and delivery of Skills Academy leadership qualifications, working with both emerging and experienced leaders to build trauma-informed, inclusive leadership practices that drive meaningful change.
With more than twelve years of experience in training and development, Natalie is a qualified SQA Assessor and Internal Verifier, known for her meticulous attention to compliance and her strong grasp of SQA procedures and standards. Before joining LinkLiving, Natalie worked with Rape Crisis, where she supported service users in overcoming trauma-related barriers to recovery. She also trained volunteer support workers and led youth initiatives across high schools in the Forth Valley area—demonstrating her commitment to education, empowerment, and trauma-informed care.
Natalie’s career has been shaped by her dedication to person-centred, customer-focused roles, always striving to make training accessible, inclusive, and impactful. She is a passionate advocate for trauma-informed approaches and ensures that every learning experience she facilitates is rooted in empathy, safety, and growth.
Katy Penman, Skills Academy Facilitator
Katy joined the Skills Academy team from a background of roles in health and social care regulation and community engagement. Experienced in establishing and leading teams of volunteers and colleagues, Katy is responsible for the design and delivery of training within her current role at LinkLiving and has a particular interest in leadership, systems design, inclusion and wellbeing.
With a background in evidence-based practice, quality standards, quality assurance and continuous improvement as well as public engagement, inclusion and diversity, Katy brings a range of skills and experience to the team. Outside of work, Katy enjoys spending time with friends and family, getting creative with papercrafts and fiber art, listening to live music and travelling.
Jade McNaught, Business Administration & Finance Officer
Jade is the Business Administrator and Finance Officer at LinkLiving, where she leads a team of administrators to coordinate courses and events, manage finances, and implement effective processes across all three Link Academy locations (Falkirk, Edinburgh and Fife). Since joining the organisation, she has played a key role in supporting the Skills Academy team and strengthening operational systems.
With an MA in History, Jade developed strong critical capacities and attention to detail, which she has since applied to administration and finance. She has a naturally empathetic and approachable nature, shaped by a variety of people-focused roles, particularly with young people. This included working as a Support Worker for children with additional needs alongside her university studies, which inspired her to complete a PGDE in history teaching. Through this, Jade deepened her understanding of young people, mental health, trauma and development.
Jade is committed to ensuring the smooth running of services, and continues to welcome new challenges and opportunities for growth in her role.