At Q3, we have always supported lifelong learning, training, apprenticeships, and personal and professional development. We believe it’s important that people across the business, in whatever role, can pursue their ambitions and realise their career and life goals.

All the directors have pledged their commitment to supporting any individual who makes this choice, and we will provide the time, freedom and mentoring support necessary, for them to take up the challenge.

We see it as an investment not only in the person but also in the company. After all, learning and development underpins Q3’s values, helping to create the quality people who will deliver the quality services, to ultimately create quality workplaces that keep the client happy.

We believe that Q3 has a remarkable record of taking individuals from one role and creating new career opportunities for them, sometimes in a completely different discipline. Across the business, we have a growing cohort of individuals in a wide range of roles who are already on that journey.

Here’s an interesting personal experience from Paul Courtney, our HR Advisor, who has successfully taken the academic route to CIPD qualifications and is already working on the next step and a new goal.

Paul Courtney graduates with CIPD L5 Associate Diploma in People Management.

“I had started my L5 5 CIPD as a paid course, however, the experience I received was not a great one, so I discussed with my HR Director about undertaking my L5 CIPD as an apprenticeship. I was slightly apprehensive about starting My L5 CIPD apprenticeship, especially as I was the first employee to start an apprenticeship with Q3 Services, as I felt all eyes would be on me. However, having spoken to Debbie from Chichester College on how they deliver the qualification and also my HR Director Lucy Hayes, all my reservations were addressed. A positive impact for the business, is that I was able to broaden and strengthen our apprenticeship provision across all Q3’s businesses.

“During the qualification, I attended Chichester College most Thursdays to learn various topics. I really enjoyed the employment law subject, especially as this would help me further within my role, for example dealing with TUPE arrangements, as this is a part with my role at Q3. The topics were delivered through the skilful teaching of both Debbie Tizzard and Louise Breinholt, and this enabled me to work closer with the support of Q3 to think outside the box in the delivery of HR, through the embedding of theory into practice.

“It would be silly not to mention my hopes for the future from completing this qualification. I hope that as the business to continues to grow, so I can move into a strategic element of the role or even into management.

“I want to mention a few people on the Q3 Services board, especially Lucy, and thank them for their support and allowing me time to step away from the business to learn in an environment that best suits me.

“Friends and family, thank you for your patience when I had to kindly decline the invitation to go out with you all.

“Adam for checking my work, as I do like to waffle and would often find myself over the word count.

“Marco, my faithful four-legged friend, who would sit with me until 2am, whilst I wrote my assignments or had moments of self-doubt.

“What now? Well… having completed my L5 and graduated I have started my L3 apprenticeship in Payroll Management!”