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Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
In the last week we have been busy raising money for our chosen charity - Beyond Food Foundation. Reem has kindly been painting nails and Tia has been baking and selling brownies.
James Feneley has returned from his ski holiday - to more snow! He then had to walk to Monday night's careers fair!
This evening we have our network evening for those apprentices on our January Executive PA and Business Apprentice Programmes. We are looking forward to meeting and greeting those that will be attending!
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Spring Term Newsflash
We are into week four of the Spring Term and life at Quest has been busy! We have had lunch swops with the new January starters, visits to the Houses of Parliament, drinks for the graduates and are just about to launch this term's charity events.
Outside of Quest we have been busy visiting schools such as St Mary's Ascot and Wellington College. Keep an eye out for our new mini's on their way to such roadshow events!
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Welcome to our new team members
Happy New Year!!
This January 2012 we have welcomed three new team members - Carlie Santoro, Sophie Dobson and Peter Newton, to the Quest team. Peter has joined us to provide marketing (CIM) training, Sophie has joined our training team as training support, and Carlie has joined our growing recruitment team. We wish the three of them the best of luck and hope that they enjoy their time with us!
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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
The Quest team wish all of our Quest apprentices, past, present and future, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We will see you all in 2012 xxx
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Exciting Times Ahead!
At the start of December we held a graduation drinks evening for 60 university graduates who came and completed the Graduate Training Programme with us from September through to December 2011. The 3 groups were extremely focussed, motivated and passionate, and we thoroughly enjoyed having them all around. We now wish them all the best of luck as they go on to start their new roles in companies such as Macmillan, Camargue PR, Nimbus Ninety, Cannacord, Garden House School, Citigate Dewe Rogerson PR, Hawkwood Capital and Marsh & Parsons. We are eagerly awaiting their updates and interesting stories surrounding their new roles!
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An Evening of Networking at Quest!
We have been busy making contacts and networking over the last two days at Quest. We kick-started the first of the network evenings on Tuesday, welcoming back recent Quest leavers from the PA Programme this time last year. We heard from them about their roles as PAs within companies such as TalkTalk, Grant Thornton, Arcadia Petroleum and Dauntons. On Wednesday we welcomed back ex Quest students from last years' Young Executive Programme, who are now at companies such as Bell Pottinger, Douglas & Gordon, WO Security and Ingenious Media.
I have no doubt that their enthusiasm for each of their roles and work places inspired our current PA and Young Executive students and made them look forward to the opportunities to come.
Our thanks go out to all of the parents and guardians who attended the two events. Without your insights into business, your top tips for starting up your own company and your support for Quest, these evenings would not be possible!
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Hello and welcome to Quest!
We have recently welcomed over 200 new faces at Quest, in preparation for the start of their professional training programmes on Tuesday 20th September. For those of you that could not make the welcome social, rest assured that everyone is lovely!
We hope that everyone starting with us next Tuesday enjoys the long weekend, and we will see you all on Tuesday!
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Welcome to Quest's Alumni Network
We are sad to have said goodbye to all of our 36 Week Diploma, 24 Week PA and 24 Week Young Executive students recently, however want to remind you that we like to KEEP IN TOUCH! Our ALUMNI NETWORK is the perfect way for you to keep up-to-date with the general 'goings on' at Quest, for you to look for second and third time job opportunities, and for you to find out about any of our upcoming alumni events. We would also like to hear from you if you would like to come back into Quest and present to our current students on the amazing work that you have been doing since leaving Quest back in the day!
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Amazing Successes this Summer
The Quest team are really proud of all of our students this year, and the efforts that everyone put in during their time with us. We hope that you keep us updated with all of your future news. Well done to all of you so far who have secured some amazing job roles, at Grant Thornton, Nomura, Goldman Sachs, Delek Global Real Estate, Razorfish, JO Hambro, Hogan Lovells, Marsh and Parsons, LK Bennett, Bain and Gray and Reed Recruitment. We are eager to hear about your progress and hope that you are putting all of your skills to good use!
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Well Done!!!!
Quest say WELL DONE to our most recent group of graduates from the 12 Week Grad Course!! GOOD LUCK to those of you starting your new jobs this week, and as always, you all know where we are if you need anything. Keep in touch and let us know how you get on.
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TRIPLE SUCCESS!!!
CONGRATULATIONS to Jemma Gueno, Jacinta Furlong, and Cordelia Morgan-Cooper from the 12 Week Graduate Course. They have all had their reviews of The Times published. Quest is very proud of their success! Well Done!!!!
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End of Term............
Students and staff enjoyed an afternoon of bowling to sign off the end of the Spring Term at Quest - everyone enjoyed the opportunity of taking time out to just have fun!
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Full Circle.......
Students on the 36 Week Diploma Course had an inspiring presentation from Georgina Campbell- Harris, Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive of Avanti Communications and Sarah Ashford who is PA to the Global Head of CCP at the Royal Bank of Scotland. Georgina and Sarah came to Quest straight from school 10 years ago and have gone on to have exciting and successful careers. Georgina recently employed Ellis Edwards who left the 36 Week Diploma Course in 2010 – great networking!!!
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On a Quest for CANCER RESEARCH UK
On Friday 4 February, the staff and students at Quest Business Training were on a different kind of Quest - to raise funds for Cancer Research UK, as part of World Cancer Day. Students baked personalised “Quest” cakes, ran their own pop up cafe, tied themselves together, wore ‘memorable’ moustaches and organised a raffle to raise money and awareness for Cancer Research UK. A huge thank you to all the students, tutors, parents and friends who gave so generously, raising a total of £533 for such an important cause. You can find more photos on our facebook page – and find out who ate all the cakes! Natalie Brownless from Cancer Research UK collected the cheque on Tuesday and was delighted the students had done so well. THANK YOU everyone!
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Congratulations............
Congratulations to all the recent Graduate Leavers who have started their new careers:
Holly Baker – Alpha Plus, Kirsty Marsh – Sugar Hut, Lauren Rowntree-Taylor – Investec, Ruth Wilding-Jones – CIA, Olivia Alter – Perfect Little Black Dress, Jessica Wright – Hawkwood, Charlotte Redman – ISSA, Joanna Sparrow – Bell Pottinger, Katie Chrimes – Sauvreterre School, Josephine Close – Saker Estates, Gemma Cousins – Stellar Group, Roseanne Brake – Spring Law, Sally Dempster – Alliance, Georgie Gilbertson – Exley Harvey, Carrie Ashard – Exodus Travel, Rebecca Jeans – CWM, Danielle Spiteri – Mittal, Kathryn Thomas – ChapmanBlack, Nicola Tulloch – MiH Jeans, Eleanor Sampson – Fishburn Hedges
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Champagne and Celebration.....
The clink of glasses heralded the end of course for the 50 Graduates who successfully completed their 12 Week Course in IT Skills, Marketing and Management at Quest. They have contributed to the vibe that has been buzzing around Quest this term and we wish them every success in their future careers and look forward to hearing all their news.
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End of Term parcel wrapping!!!!
Some of the students on the 36 Week Diploma Course had a lesson in Christmas wrapping – LITERALLY – and looking closely at the result this is one area that probably most employers would question competency – but it’s the last week of Term – FUN – had by all!!
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No Broken Bones!!!!!!
What a great start to the last week of Term, 75 students and staff enjoyed ice skating at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, to everyone’s astonishment no one had to make a trip to A & E!!! More photos can be found on the Quest Facebook site ............
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Never too soon to network.............
Students on the 24 Week and 36 Week Courses had the opportunity of posing questions regarding careers and industries to parents over a glass of wine. It was a successful evening of networking where parents could meet the staff and students could ask about real life experience and different industries and job roles to help them plan for the future. The night was buzzing with students building contacts and developing professional networking skills in preparation for job hunting in their final term. We look forward to meeting parents again next term as the student’s progress through Quest.
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Sheridan Mangal (SFM Founder & CEO)
Two-Day Trading event:
Sheridan has worked in the capital markets for over 30 years. He began his career at the London Stock Exchange, where he was directly involved in key financial market changes including deregulation (Big Bang), dematerialisation and the growing use of technology to drive market systems. After 16 years in this environment, Sheridan went on to hold influential roles within the front, middle and back offices of major investment and retail banks in the UK, USA and Europe. Over two days students were guided through ‘life in the city’ in the position of traders. They gained a practical insight into the activities and experiences that city traders undergo on a day-to-day basis, and spent the second day trading on the stock market. The event introduced our students to the stock market in a fun, practical and comprehensive way.
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LinkedIn.............
Chris Brown and James McErlean gave an inspirational talk to our graduates on how LinkedIn can be used for career development and professional networking purposes. LinkedIn is used by over 80 million professionals worldwide and the talk really emphasised how invaluable the site is for job seekers and working professionals. It cannot be expressed enough how important networking and customer relationships are in the corporate environment today, and it was a pleasure to have a talk from such a high profile, and current organisation.
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Half Way
Students on the 12 Week Graduate Course enjoyed Cake and Cava on Friday 05 November 2010. They have now reached the half-way mark in their training and many are already going out on job interviews. The next six weeks will see them completing their Marketing and Management qualifications and focus on getting that all important job.
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Life since Quest......
We were delighted to welcome back Sarah Smith who left Quest in July following completion of the 12 Week Graduate Course. Sarah now works in property for Marsh and Parsons and provided the current Grads with an insight into her first few months in the role.
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Fond Farewell.... part 2
This was the last week for our current short course and we will really miss them all. The group have grown in maturity, professionalism and are ready to go out into the workplace....or off skiing and volunteering in Africa and Asia! Thank you for all your hard work and we wish you all the best!
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Fond farewell
This was the last week for our current short course and we will really miss them all. The group have grown in maturity, professionalism and are ready to go out into the workplace....or off skiing and volunteering in Africa and Asia! Thank you for all your hard work and we wish you all the best!
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Event Management at Vinopolis
The 24 week Young Executives and Personal Assistants attended their first offsite training at Vinopolis. This boutique wine tasting and events venue gave them a practical insight into planning events and some useful tips for any budding professional. Chloe Crowther, a former Quest student, gave a firsthand account of her role as PA to MD and Private Events Sales Executive at Vinopolis. She quickly progressed from reception to take on these key responsibilities and provided valuable advice to our current students.
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Graduates embark on professional training
The Graduate groups are three weeks into their professional training in management and marketing. They have been conducting some interesting practical experiments in managing teams ...and they could probably give Apollo and Synergy some tips on the Apprentice. This is the first term we are using the Belgravia Room for lectures and it is an exciting addition to our learning environment.
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Visiting Universities
Over the next few weeks Quest will be attending a series of employment and career events at Universities around the UK including Exeter, UWE, Leeds, Portsmouth, Hull, Newcastle and others. In this uncertain economic climate it is good to have as many professional skills as possible when you are job hunting. Quest gives all graduates the opportunity to develop their “added value” and start building a successful career. Do call us to check if your University is on our list or if you have a fair near you which we could attend.
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Fantastic first week of term
Last week was the start of the Autumn Term and we were delighted to welcome all the new students and start getting to know them. This is going to be an exciting 12 weeks – full of visits from industry specialists and practical workshops to build the students’ knowledge and skills. Part of the 36 week induction involved the Photo Challenge, capturing famous London sights and inspiring conga lines across Victoria!
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First Aid Training
The 10 week course took part in first aid and urban safety training last week, gaining vital life saving skills. This was filled with practical tips for problem solving, guiding them to make the right decisions when travelling overseas or facing danger. This group are developing their confidence, maturity and administrative skills in preparation for temporary work and travel during their gap year.
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The hunt is on...
Our short course students are just starting to contact recruitment agencies and look for work. Over the last four weeks they have been improving their administrative skills and IT knowledge in preparation. Well done to Tom Gilbert and Henry Church who have already found work and good luck to everyone who is interviewing over the next few weeks.
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September Social - Welcome to Quest
On Wednesday 15th September it was wonderful to welcome so many new faces to the College. We hosted a tea party for all the new starters on our two and three term courses. This was an opportunity for them to meet each other and get acquainted before the start of term. Staff were on hand to answer questions, delicious cakes were passed around and students explored the building and began to familiarise themselves with all things Quest! We hope this afternoon has eased any nerves and we look forward to welcoming everyone at the official start of term on Monday.
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Back to Work
Many of the students who finished with us in July enjoyed a summer holiday before starting their job hunt. Their return has generated a wave of success in securing fabulous jobs: Sarah Taylor at M:Communications, Tom Lloyd at Lloyds as a Money Market Dealer, Bobbie Ross at Guest Krieger Insurance, Sam McKee at ING on the trading floor, Hayley McConnell at FTI Consulting, Charlotte Head at Olive Tree Securities, Kathryn Smallwood at PRUPIM retail asset management in the city and Georgie Knowles at JC Rathbone Holdings Ltd. Fishburn Hedges also contacted the team at Quest and selected Abigail Waller to start a work placement with them, in the highly competitive field of PR. Congratulations to you all, we wish you every success.
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September Successes
Good luck to everyone who is starting their new job over the next few weeks. Amelia Bendel is joining Trehaven in Sloane Square, Keely Smith will be progressing to her second job role and Becky Taylor will be starting at Lincoln Vale, a boutique hedge fund in Mayfair. Our summer students have been very busy perfecting their C.Vs and organising interviews for temporary work – we wish you lots of luck registering with the recruitment agencies next week! Do let us know how you are getting on with your own job search and contact Laura Lee and the Quest team if you need further assistance.
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Graduate Training Scheme
We are very excited this month as Emma Parker (Graduate 2009) is starting the Heinz national graduate training scheme. She successfully completed the highly competitive selection process which included creating a presentation, conducting business analysis and competency based interviews. Emma performed brilliantly and is now joining the Sales and Marketing training scheme for 2010. We know Emma’s professionalism, positivity and business acumen will impress Heinz and want to wish her the very best of luck with her training.
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Start spreading the news....
Congratulations to Charlotte Levy who has just been accepted at AMTA, on a musical theatre course that will be partly based in New York! Charlotte took part in the 12 week graduate course and has been temping over the last few months in London before starting her musical theatre training. We will be following her career with interest and hope to see her on the West End stage soon.
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Jobs, jobs, jobs......
Well done Katharine and Cali who both found new jobs in exclusive Mayfair companies this week. They excelled on the summer short course and we know they will impress their new Directors. We also want to congratulate Hannah Lovell who was assisted by Laura Lee to progress her career and join a very prestigious organisation in London. Hannah completed the 36 Week Diploma Course and is a fantastic ambassador for Quest.
Best of luck to our fast track graduates and short course leavers who are all currently out on interview – watch this space for their job successes next week.....
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Life without limits
As unemployment rises to 17.5% for under-24 year olds and places on degree courses fall by half, you could be forgiven for thinking that your future is bleak. However, Quest summer students are busy preparing for interviews and gaining professional business training. A third of them have already found jobs with two weeks to go before they leave, proving there are still good opportunities available.
80% of our leavers find employment within the first month of leaving college, if not sooner, due to their training. Thanks to all of you who contacted us recently, we also know your careers continue to grow quickly; progressing to EAs, Team Managers, H.R, Marketing and PR professionals.
Let us develop your commercial understanding and practical business skills to live a life without limits...
Call us if you need further advice on what to do after your results or to find out how Quest can develop your career.
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Evening Training
Continued Professional Development
We are delighted to announce that we will be offering the CIM Professional Certificate in Marketing and the CIM Professional Diploma in Marketing from September 2010. Both courses will be delivered in the evening in order to suit those that are working, please contact the college for more information.
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Lots of luck
If you are waiting for your A2/ AS results next week, we want to wish you all the best and hope you do really well. It can be a tense time, so please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any advice. Whatever happens, there are many different opportunities available to find the future you want and Quest could be the right stepping stone for you.
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Happy Hunting!
This has been a fantastic week for Quest’s job hunters... well done to all of you who have been busy at interview. Congratulations to Lucy Sandall who has been offered the front of house role in Hermes and Helen Barker who has accepted a job at Hogan Lovells – one of the Magic Circle Law firms. We have our fingers crossed for the rest of you who are out on second interview and waiting for news next week – please keep us posted.
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The Fastest Typist?
The competition has been on this week as Max Sinclair reached speeds of 108wpm touch typing. We believe the fastest typist has reached up to 120wpm, so he could be on track to beat this record during his career! Over the last week, many of the students have improved their speeds and increased by up to 30wpm – so at this rate they could all be chasing Max for the title!
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Hot Tips
If you are just returning from sun bathing on your holidays, do contact Laura and the team for help with your job search. We have opportunities available and know which recruitment consultancies need you. It is a competitive market at the moment, so Jennie and Laura can help you feel more confident at interview and find the role that is right for you.
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Successful Summer Job Seekers
Congratulations to all our July leavers who have secured new roles in the last few weeks. Charlotte Larwill has been offered a position as a budding recruitment consultant at Advantage Professional, Louise McCartney has started in her job at Christian Dior and Victoria Karageorgis has accepted a team support role working in private equity at CapVest. Best of luck to those of you who are busy interviewing in the next few weeks and do let us know how you get on.
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Alumni Reunited
Thank you for your amazing response to our recent letter, we are delighted that so many of you are doing so well. It has been lovely to catch up with everyone’s news and we hope to set up a “Look at you now” page on our website so you can see what your friends have been up to. It is brilliant to hear from you all and we are very proud of what you have achieved since graduating.
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Short Course Sizzlers
2 weeks into the summer courses and we have a lovely group of twenty students who are already achieving great things. Our fast track graduates have been benefiting from NLP techniques to get the results they want from conversations and develop professional communication skills for work. Max Sinclair has amazed us all by reaching a touch typing speed of 100wpm – and he still has 2 weeks to go! We also want to wish Tanya Smith the best of luck starting her new role in a city property firm. This is Tanya’s first official “office” role after completing the 6 week course and we know she will do a fantastic job.
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More graduates in work
Congratulations to Sarah Jane Hackett who has secured a new role just 1 week after finishing the graduate course! Sarah will be working as a team PA to an IT firm in the city and we are all delighted for her. This means over half of the graduates have found roles or further study placements in their first week of leaving Quest. Best of luck to all the new starters and to the job hunters... let us know how you get on, we really miss you all!
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Alumni Alert
Did you attend St. James's, Lucie Clayton or Queen's Business & Secretarial College? These three prestigious Colleges are now part of Quest Business Training. We would love to hear about your time at College and what you are doing now. Add Quest London as a friend on Facebook or connect with us on LinkedIn to become part of this growing network.
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Job Successes
It is great to see so many Summer 2010 Leavers securring their first jobs. Congratulations and good luck to Chloe Summers and Bobbi Ross for their first week at PriceWaterhouse-Coopers. Both were offered roles within PWC following a successful work experience placement. We are delighted for Lydia Tivenan who has just started her first job at J Hambro; Harriet Southgate who has been offered a role at Bain & Co; Maddie Cameron who will be starting IMRG; Charlotte Edwards who was very pleased to accept her role at TOSCA; Olivia Mitchell who starts as a PA at CCP Corporate Finance; Sarah Smith for winning her role at Marsh & Parsons and to Emma Rowlands who has been offered a position at Smart Technologies. Laura, Jennie and all the team at Quest know you will all be a great success and we miss you all.
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Graduation Awards
Congratulations to Helen Barker and Lucy Sandall for being the 'Outstanding College Leavers 2010'. They had received nominations from every tutor for every award category including: attendance, attitude, progress, quality of work, employability and potential. Other Leavers receiving recognition awards included Tom Lloyd, Lydia Tivenan, Victoria Karageorgis, Louisa Hart, Ellis Edwards, Katherine Hamilton, Gabbi Stein and Louise McCartney. Congratulations to all of the above and to every student who received their Certificates and Diplomas. Winners were delighted with their 'Q' charms and cufflinks from Links of London. "What a brilliant way to remember my Quest achievement" said Tom.
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Graduation Drinks - 2 July 2010
Over 120 students, guests and tutors attended a wonderful graduation drinks on Friday 2 July. Celebrating with champagne and canapes, the event was held in Quest's beautifully restored Belgravia Room. It was great to see so many parents enjoying themselves and obviously putting names to faces. Students returned to the College from their work experience placements and had good fun catching up. Following a speech from Judith, certificates were handed out and special awards were made. Parents and students were eager to offer feedback on their experiences and we will be uploading their responses soon.
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Work Experience Placements Begin
Good luck to all of our two and three term students who have started on work experience recently. PriceWaterhouse-Coopers and KPMG have offered placements to nine students with both companies providing a superb learning experience in a dynamic and supportive environment. We are grateful too to the Recruitment Consultants at Page Personnel and Hatty Blue, and to parents who have encouraged their clients and contacts to support the work experience programme. As a result of this, Quest students have today started work experience at: BDO Stoy Hayward; Lloyds Banking, Lambeth Palace, Fortnum and Mason, London Dungeons, Bell Pottinger, Goddard and Perry, Sport England, Cowdray Polo Club, Square Mile, Burberry, LK Bennett, the Knightsbridge School and other leading names.
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Student Joins Morgan Stanley
Congratulations to Brogan Garrit-Smith! 36 weeks ago, Brogan joined Quest on its Diploma Course, today she has been offered a fabulous role at Morgan Stanley - brilliant.
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