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Emma Henigan, Manager Director of Vocational Training Services (VTS), firmly believes that mental and physical health share an equal footing in the wellbeing of her 21-strong team. It’s an ethos she’s keen to share with the hundreds of young apprentices and employer partners the company works with each year and, with Able Futures’ help, she’s doing just that.
VTS learnt of the Able Futures service in late 2025. Able Futures delivers the Government’s Access to Work Mental Health Support Service which provides no cost support to anyone struggling with mental health problems at work – including apprentices and self-employed people.
Able Futures’ mental health coaches provide up to nine months’ support to proactively tackle symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression, whether work related or not.
“I’ve always felt mental health is just as important as physical health,” says Emma, who joined the Essex based training provider 19 years ago, stepping into the CEO role in 2024. “The quality of what you deliver comes from your team being settled and nurtured. If people work in a supportive culture, have a good work-life balance, and are given the chance to grow then staff retention, motivation, and performance speak for themselves.
“When I learnt of Able Futures, I just knew I needed to get it out there, both to my team and our employer partners.”
The VTS team offers a range of work-based training programmes specialising in early years, health, and care. Delivering level two to five vocational qualifications, the company works predominantly with young learners and a large range of employers, including care homes, nurseries, schools, and hospitals. As high pressure sectors with a growing demand for qualified staff, Emma sees the value of mental health awareness, and the cost of not acting on it:
She adds: “I came here as a tutor delivering apprenticeships 19 years ago. We’re not just a tutor – we become the learner's go-to person generally.
“Our 19 to 25 year age group are those who left education during Covid. We deal a lot with our learners’ mental health struggles, and I’ve seen apprentices leave workplaces where those mental health needs were not met. I now spend a lot of my time researching and working with our employers to empower them, to help them support their staff, and propagate that positive culture. Having Able Futures on hand gives us the confidence to suggest something tangible and useful to them.”
Initially, Able Futures was invited to present its services to the VTS team, explaining the practical support it provides to both workers, line managers and employer teams. Impressed with the flexibility and quick, no cost access to online and face-to-face support, Emma promptly started spreading the word. She provided Able Futures’ literature to VTS employer partners, added the service to learner and employer newsletters, shared Able Futures material on social media, and added a bespoke Able Futures page to the VTS website. She also invited Able Futures to present at a regional providers networking group.
Emma concludes: “Mental health and wellbeing are so important in a modern workplace. Our partnership with Able Futures reflects how seriously we take that. For our own team, our learners, and their employers, we are there – with Able Futures – to support them.”
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