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Jo Barnard
Director
I have been involved in recruitment and training for over twenty years, joining Lucie Clayton in 1997. Lucie Clayton merged with St James's, which in turn joined with Queen's and today we are Quest. I am responsible for leading the Quest team in ensuring that we provide effective, responsive and creative learning opportunities that delight our apprentices. In a competitive, demanding job market we continue to align ourselves with the ever changing requirements of business, delivering to meet the expectations of the employer. I am proud to have an expert team of professionals who thrive on the concept of a life without limits, and for this reason can live in confidence that our apprentices will far exceed expectations wherever their careers take them.
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Alice Lewes
Trainer
My experience of setting up and running a successful corporate training consultancy has given me a great insight into the vital importance of effective leadership and management. At Quest I deliver the Professional ILM Leadership Awards, and have so far enabled 98% of students to achieve their ILM qualifications. I am also an Executive coach for the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) and write and deliver my own leadership training programmes. I am passionate about training others in effective leadership and really enjoy constructing interactive sessions and getting involved with the students.
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Bassam El-Homsi
Trainer
As one of the longest-serving trainers, I have had an extremely interesting career in delivering IT training at Quest. I enjoy converting apprentices’ opinions of IT, helping them to progress from disinterest and uncertainty to becoming passionate and confident IT program users. As part of the IT team, I constantly update my courses to match the developments in technology and the advancing skills of our apprentices due to social networking sites and their previous IT education. Quest alumni always report how beneficial IT training is in regards to their career progression, and I am extremely proud to be able to have had a part in this.
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Caryn Russell
Trainer
After graduating from NUI Galway with a 2.1 honours Bachelor of Corporate Law Degree and L.L.B, I began teaching various law, business and I.T related subjects through a project based learning approach to education in a Youthreach Centre in Ireland. In my second year teaching I graduated from NUI Maynooth with a 1st class honours Postgraduate Diploma in Adult and Community Education. From my previous 3 years teaching experience and my strong background in Business and Law I believe I can pass on valuable skills and knowledge to the students at Quest through creative, innovative and inspiring classes. I believe that the key to successful education is to create a positive learning environment where students can develop new skills and build on previous skills such as communicating, problem solving, decision making and investigative skills, while at the same time improving their social and interpersonal skills through meeting new people and learning from new experiences which they can apply to the working world when they graduate from Quest.
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Catharine Charles
Trainer
I have over 20 years of training experience, working in a range of sectors including banking, media, and public services. The majority of my training experience has been with the BBC, training staff of all levels – management, journalists and producers – in IT, keyboarding and shorthand. I joined Quest 5 years ago and am dedicated to helping and encouraging Quest apprentices to learn and reach their full potential. I specialise in Microsoft Office applications, keyboarding, shorthand, business writing, minute taking, and report writing. Away from the fast-paced London lifestyle that Quest is surrounded by, I enjoy relaxing with my family and friends, playing tennis, horse-riding, cycling and skiing. I believe that work-life balance is crucial in keeping us all sane, and feel that Quest apprentices should adopt this approach also!
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Dominique Kolimechkov
Trainer
Since graduating from Queen's University, Belfast, I have built up a variety of industry experience. My first role involved business administration and event management within a law firm in Brussels, where I worked closely with the European Institutions. From here I progressed to managing conferences and then transferred my event skills into the financial sector. Working in the Financial Markets Education Department at UBS and EBRD widened my knowledge of finance and banking. Taking my personal experience and keeping on top of continual changes within these industry areas has led me to Economics & Business Finance, Current Affairs and Event & Project Management sessions that are accessible at every level and relevant in the workplace.
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Emma Samengo-Turner
Trainer
I have always worked in the fashion industry, starting off in Harpers Bazaar and then moving onto Polo Ralph Lauren. With Ralph Lauren I arranged all of the company's fashion and customer events in the UK. I have been an image consultant working with private clients and also at Quest for just over four years. I really enjoy giving confidence to the apprentices by guiding them towards an individual business style and helping with any image concerns. As the saying goes, ‘you never get a second chance to make a first impression’ and with our apprentices constantly going out for interviews, image consultancy remains a small, yet important component of the Quest schedule.
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James Feneley
Client Services Co-ordinator
From finishing my degree in Sport Business Management I came straight into my position here at Quest. I am generally the first point of contact for any prospective or current student, and aside from my daily behind-the-scenes responsibilities, I am here to provide you with as much general support and information as you need throughout your time at Quest, so any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Outside of Quest I enjoy playing tennis and golf, and catching up with friends.
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Jane Fallon
Trainer
I have extensive experience in marketing, operations and planning and have worked for a diverse range of international organisations across a 20 year period. During my career, I have led a range of marketing, sales, operational improvement and rebranding initiatives that have been designed to drive organisations to become more customer focused and improve performance.
After completing an MSc in International Marketing Strategy at Strathclyde Business School, I worked as a freelance consultant with organisations advising on marketing and operational strategy.
I changed direction in 2007 to become a trainer and lecturer, gaining a PGCE. I have experience designing, implementing and facilitating work-related programmes for adults studying for the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) programmes. I also have experience delivering under-graduate and post-graduate programmes for higher education institutions.
I am a Chartered member of the CIM and a member of the CMI.
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Jennie Francis
Trainer
After graduating with a 2.1 from Reading University in 2000, my love of people and understanding of business led me to build a successful career as a recruitment consultant. I supported many FTSE 100 companies and boutique consultancies with business development, staff training and recruitment. This has given me an excellent grounding to assist apprentices at Quest with all aspects of their careers and thinking about the future. In addition to training, I am passionate about providing professional guidance and helping each individual discover their own potential and future success.
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Jennifer Begg
Trainer
For the past six years I have been part of the commercial team at Guardian News and Media. During this time I have built up expertise in the areas of social media, marketing and communications, content creation and commissioning, print and online publishing, event management and promotion. I love technology and I’m passionate about enabling people to use it better for communication and networking as well as wider practical, tangible actions and results. My work at Quest allows me to fulfil this passion. In my free time I campaign on development issues with groups like Care International Network, run a Girl Guide unit and I'm currently fund raising to build a school in Cambodia in memory of my mum.
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Kate Blackshaw
Trainer
I have been affiliated to the company for over twenty years. My background in performing arts, particularly as a voice-over artist and actor, forms the basis of the programmes I now present at Quest. Current research shows that one of the most significant factors in a successful career is the understanding of ourselves and others; agencies and employers are putting more and more emphasis on these vital life skills. Through our bespoke Personal Development programme Quest apprentices are introduced to the concepts of emotional intelligence and the critical importance of effective communication. I love delivering this training and witnessing individuals’ confidence maturing. I always look forward to meeting the new apprentices as every individual presents a unique challenge and I can provide them with the space and skills to develop.
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Laura Lee
Trainer
After graduating from Oxford Brookes University I found my niche in recruitment very early on in my career. I began my first job at a boutique recruitment agency based in London, and from here moved on to work at Joyce Guiness, an agency based in South Kensington. Ten years on, I have successfully developed the recruitment team at Quest, putting all of my previous experience to full use. Since 2008 I have arranged the work experience placements for all Quest apprentices, recruited for some of London’s top employers for both entry level and second/third time job roles, and have enjoyed guiding our apprentices onto fulfilling and challenging career paths. In September 2011 I joined the training team, guiding Quest apprentices through the process of CV development, and sharing my knowledge of the many different industries in which they could potentially go on to work. I really enjoy getting to know all of the Quest apprentices personally, and know that this contributes enormously to the success in placing them into suitable job roles.
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Liz Barnes
Trainer
Liz is a qualified trainer in the commercial aspects of management training, specialising in marketing. With extensive experience in both the private and public sector, she has also complemented her training role with consultancy and lecturing in management and marketing.
Key specialties
Consulting plus training course design and delivery:
• Marketing including delivery of The Chartered Institute of Marketing qualifications, from Introductory Certificate to Postgraduate Diploma
• Customer service and customer care
• Management metrics – measuring what really matters
• Strategic marketing
• Business planning
• Customer and client communications
• Facilitation skills and methodology
• Problem solving techniques
• Managing internal communications
• Business tools: writing, meetings, presentation skills
• Negotiation and advanced negotiation skills
• Business networking
• Value propositions
• Evaluation techniques and methodology
Liz has a passion for her work, and with a warm and encouraging style. She motivates and inspires the delegates, students, managers and business owners with whom she works.
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Nicola Feneley
Head of Client Services
After graduating from Exeter with a 2.1 degree in Business and Geography, I have now spent the last year working at Quest. I have enjoyed every moment and cannot think of a more positive, pro-active, and forward-thinking working environment. My job role has meant that I have got over my fear of public speaking, and you will now often find me out of the office giving presentations to schools and chatting with university graduates, sharing my passion for Quest with possible future apprentices. I love meeting new faces, both away at school and university careers fairs, but also at Quest when prospective apprentices come to visit. As part of the client services team, I am here to provide as much support and information as Quest apprentices need throughout their time at Quest, so any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!
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Samantha Dobson
Trainer
I joined the Quest team in 2005 and since then have always taught IT and shorthand across the variety of training programmes that Quest offers. I enjoy training apprentices to the next level, moving away from GCSE and A Level IT training and towards a practical, work place-aligned approach. In March 2011 I joined the Senior Management Team at Quest and am now responsible for overseeing the development of apprentices and providing additional support and individual guidance where needed. I absolutely love the interaction that both my training and managerial roles allow me to have with the students. I feel very proud when my apprentices leave Quest, armed with all the right ammunition to conquer the job market!
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Samantha Wheeler
Recruitment Consultant
I started my career in recruitment working for Kroll FPR, where I worked as a Background Screening Analyst. I then worked for a Debt Collecting company for three years, before returning to recruitment as an IT resourcer. I have been at Quest since November 2010 and really enjoy building relationships with the apprentices, giving them careers advice and supporting them during the interview process. I am always on hand for advice, so apprentices can drop in and see me at any time, although when I am not at my desk I will be liaising with our broad London client base and arranging work experience opportunities.
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Sarah Openshaw
Trainer
On graduating from Bristol University I was very unsure about launching myself into the daunting world of work, so I took a course at Queen's. It allowed me to gain experience in many areas, including working as a bilingual and legal PA, a freelance translator and a recruitment consultant. I eventually discovered my real motivation was supporting people on the cusp of that same daunting decision; giving them both the confidence to take that step and the transferable skills to build on in a changing market. My favourite subject is probably Practical Workshops where Quest apprentices work for me in their final term, enabling them to put all their skills to use (and make mistakes safely!) before going into the workplace. What I love most about my job is seeing our apprentices develop and blossom in their own individual way, and working with an incredibly dedicated team of staff who are always willing to go the extra mile to help Quest apprentices achieve their different goals.
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Sophie Dobson
Training Team Support
I graduated with a 2:1 in Classics in 2009 and went on to work as a Visitor Assistant at Buckingham Palace and Kew Palace over the two years that followed. When I eventually decided that I wanted to make a career change I enrolled on the Graduate Training Programme at Quest Professional, and when I saw that they were recruiting for an administrator I knew that I wanted to work for them because they had the right organisational culture that I was looking for.
My role at Quest Professional is to support the Senior Management team with admin tasks on a daily basis, and I am also responsible for much of the Exam Admin at the college.
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Tom Bishop
Trainer
I studied for a Music Technology HND before later completing a degree at Lancaster University, where I studied English Literature and Creative Writing. I'm passionate about education, and my first job in the sector was as a learning mentor; since then, I have worked a variety of roles in post-16 education, including teaching at a further education college in Manchester and most recently as a training manager for apprenticeship students in North-West London. At Quest, my focus areas are English, IT and Text Production. In my spare time, I like to compose and record music.
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