Q. Learning’s carefully structured and expertly facilitated virtual sessions, accompanied with their infectious positivity, enabled our newly formed team to build a strong relationship that allowed us to move forward together, deliver results, and be at our creative best despite having never been in the same room together – a fantastic achievement!

Working on a major bid with a new group of people from different organisations and backgrounds and a short turnaround period it is essential for success to build rapport and trust. I am very impressed with how quickly and effectively Karen and her team have assimilated this diverse group.

I personally believed that strong relationships could only be forged face to face. My impressions were turned on their head when I found myself very strongly connected to my training cohort over the virtual training sessions. We formed a bond that I would say is as strong as any of the pre-Covid networks I formed in the past!

We do not consider Q. Learning to be a supplier, they partner with us and have been instrumental in helping support the evolution of our cultural change. The management training and individual coaching has been invaluable. Critically Q. Learning have built trust with the leadership teams and employee community. We really enjoy and benefit from the relationship.

Over the past year they have run a series of leadership and management development programmes in the US, Europe and the UK. Consistency in content, experience and outcomes is important to us and yet we also need the programmes to be locally and individually relevant including the use of technology to support our business needs in the US; they have delivered on all of these counts. We love what they do and the way they do it and would highly recommend them in any learning context.

Oxford City Council have worked with Q. Learning for several years and have always been extremely satisfied with what they have delivered. They are a committed and motivated team with a real drive to work with us to make a difference. By far the largest piece of work is the Leadership & Management Development programme where the flexibility they have and continue to show adds immense value – it’s like they are part of us and share our ambition and willingly go the extra mile. The programme itself was developed through a joint approach to ensure it ‘fitted’ the organisation and the content of the programme was really designed to match our ambition and challenges for the future. In addition the knowledge and experience they brought was fundamental to the success of the programme and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to other organisations who want a provider to deliver change.

The Q. Learning management development programme has quickly made a tangible difference to the behaviours of key staff. The positive response from long-established managers has been in stark contrast to some previous training programmes and to date all attendees have been invigorated and encouraged by the experience. Insights from Emotional Intelligence assessments have been openly acknowledged as both accurate and insightful and have as a result led to changes in behaviour in the workplace.

I thought the pre course positioning and the EQ-i feedback was excellent. Q learning showed great flexibility in arranging an event for us at your premises.
The materials were good though I think they could be improved slightly. This could be limited as the folder style and content looks like it may be governed by the IP owner.
I found the learning experience excellent. The pace and style was flexed to the audience and found the whole atmosphere supportive and welcoming.
The facilitator was excellent and continually checked in with us and tailored his delivery to the requirements of the audience. He clearly has a passion for the subject and was keen that we got all we could out of the experience.
The support you have offered since the course has been all we wanted. I always feel I can check in with the team at Q learning at any time for support or advice. This includes support for our admin team with the administration of running reports etc. we have also had excellent support from the consultants with them supplying telephone feedback sessions to candidates on their EQ-i report.
I would have no hesitation in recommending Q learning.

I was seeking an executive coaching programme to formalise and progress my learning and skills as a coach with the aim of becoming a qualified coach. I considered a number of programmes and I selected Q Learning’s programme as I have worked with Q learning previously and your company values are aligned to mine. I was confident that the programme content and facilitation would provide me with the right learning environment and challenge I was seeking.
The programme structure has provided a really good mix of expert ‘input’ from Frances, individual reflection, robust facilitated group discussion and coaching practice. The small group has enabled us (the participants) to practice coaching skills including observing each other and providing feedback. Being observed and receiving ‘developmental’ feedback has been an invaluable part of the learning. We ‘gelled’ as a group really quickly which enhanced the level of learning.
The programme has been a personal journey and exploration, in a way I hadn’t anticipated but have embraced. The insight and challenge that the programme has facilitated has meant that I have learned a lot about myself as well enhanced my coaching skills through the range and depth of the coaching tools and techniques. As well as the skill and capability development through increased knowledge and confidence in using the tools and techniques, the programme has required me to explore my identify as a coach.
As well as the support from Frances during and throughout the formal sessions, Frances has provided me with one to one advice and guidance on my coaching practice including preparation for coaching sessions.
Frances is a knowledgeable and credible facilitator and coach who has expertly guided us through the programme content, creating a ‘safe’ environment which has enabled us to work effectively as a group.
The course material is very comprehensive; both in terms of the ILM criteria as well as the supporting material to the modules that make up the programme and the tools we have covered.
Outside of the modules, I have participated in one webinar which provided further insight and an opportunity to explore and challenge my thinking.

I would highly recommend this course to other senior executives and those seeking to extend and formalise their coaching experience.

I found the course to be very enlightening personally. Not so much as anything revelatory, just that the outcome from some of the models was a true picture of me! I thoroughly enjoyed the 4 modules especially as we were a small group of 3 (with a 4th person joining us on the last module). Being a small group meant there was plenty of opportunity to ask questions, discuss ideas and coach each other. Frances is a very good tutor/facilitator. She clearly knows a lot about coaching as is able to impart that knowledge simply and articulately. She challenged our preconceptions in a constructive way. The learning materials were easy to use, simple to read and giving plenty of food for thought. I liked the balance between the hard copy, PowerPoint and open discussion.
The meeting room facilities were fine although could be a little chilly at times!

Overall, great course that came at just the right time for me. I would be more than happy to recommend and endorse the course and would be happy to be contacted by potential clients as required in the future

The culture, inherent here for 40 years, is starting to shift and much of that can be traced back through the partnership with Q Learning and the strategic projects they have supported us with from working with our Senior Team, through our leadership and management tiers and into the team member groups…. Nothing is too much trouble. An example is Richard will schedule calls with me from the US even if this means him being up in the early hours because of the time difference and Karen really gets ‘under the skin’ of issues when she’s working with individuals and will do whatever is necessary to turn that person’s performance or attitude around.

Providing personal and totally tailored group and individual development coaching, Karen and Richard have become an integral part of our team. I have seen the results of individual coaching build self-confidence which has been reflected back to attentive presentation audiences. With their own unique personable natures and individual skills they are a formidable team.

I have had several meetings with Karen and found them to be really insightful. She has worked with me in a couple of areas which have resulted in positive improvements in both my performance and confidence. By utilising emotional intelligence tools she provided some really accurate feedback which we have gone on to use to develop leadership skills and strategies for action. Her coaching style is supportive, yet challenging, Karen encourages you to look at how and why you do things the way you do.

The Q Learning team delivered the programme in a way that was sensitive to the climate within the organisation and the needs of the participants. The programme was delivered during a time of massive change and uncertainty. The facilitators were sympathetic to this and had an open and honest approach.
Since its delivery the impact of the programme has been noticeable in a number of ways. There is a shared language and understanding across the organisation particularly in terms of priorities, the desired culture and how senior managers can be influential in shaping this. There is a greater appreciation of the roles and responsibilities of Executive Members and the Strategic Management Team and relationships and joint working has been strengthened
The Council would highly recommend Q Learning for any assignments of this nature and we would certainly look to working with them again in the future.

The Glasgow Homelessness Partnership commissioned Q. Learning to help them to increase the engagement of partners and staff. Q. Learning designed and delivered awaydays and workshops from Board level down and their style and method of delivery ensured that this was successful and filtered effectively throughout the organisation.

We have worked closely with Q. Learning since May 2009 when we commissioned them to design a competency framework and then to design and deliver a series of development centres for 250 or our second and third tier leaders which included many clinical directors and other clinical leads.

Our association with Q. Learning dates back over many years but our most recent work with them has been around helping our managers engage with and develop the behaviours that will help take our organisation forward.

I have found that I and all my colleagues benefitted hugely from working with Q. Learning on both occasions. At the time, the experience helped us lead change in a positive and safe way – and the benefit lasts with new skills obtained. I would completely recommend the team at Q. Learning to any organisation going through change. They are brilliant coaches. I will use them again and look forward to that opportunity.

I have worked closely with Karen Cove over the past 16 months in what have been exciting times, delivering a transformation programme with ambitious outcomes for the authority.

To provide some context, the programme has involved: a major restructure for nearly 200 staff; migration of ICT infrastructure services from one provider to another for the whole organisation; implementation and deployment of a new telephony system for the whole authority; a new website and associated tenant’s portal; implementation and delivery of a new team, centralised from other parts of the organisation; and the tendering of work to be insourced to my HR Service.

The issues I have faced include leading and setting the vision for the whole service and keeping them engaged during a major restructure; keeping the confidence of the organisation whilst the corner stones of the support services that we deliver to them go through real change and yet show real engagement and improvements; and maintaining the morale, resilience and focus of my services whilst they are changing so they continue to deliver and improve.

To help me through this time, Karen used her skills and experience to assess my strengths, overdone strengths and development areas. Karen has great empathy and well-honed coaching skills which means that the combination of advice, management theory and self-reflection is always appropriate, never forced and I am always left owning and embracing the way forward.

The coaching as meant that I can test out new approaches to staffing issues, examine my own behaviour in a safe environment, be self-aware and continue to grow in my own role. I believe that the coaching has helped me to maintained my confidence and energy levels during times when resilience and self-belief could have been dampened.

This year has been an amazing year for me. I have led and delivered significant change programmes for the Council, which have created capacity and efficiency and savings in the Medium Term Financial Plan at @ £900K. However, don’t take my word for it, this is an extract from my Manager’s comments in my year end appraisal: “Inevitably it has not all been plain sailing, but Helen’s resilience, determination and positivity are a credit to her.”

Great coaching enables us to reach and exceed our wildest dreams of what we believe we can do, I could not have achieved what I have done without the coaching I received from Karen and Q. Learning.

I was seeking an executive coaching programme to formalise and progress my learning and skills as a coach with the aim of becoming a qualified coach. I considered a number of programmes and I selected Q Learning’s programme as I have worked with Q learning previously and your company values are aligned to mine. I was confident that the programme content and facilitation would provide me with the right learning environment and challenge I was seeking.
The programme structure has provided a really good mix of expert ‘input’ from Frances, individual reflection, robust facilitated group discussion and coaching practice. The small group has enabled us (the participants) to practice coaching skills including observing each other and providing feedback. Being observed and receiving ‘developmental’ feedback has been an invaluable part of the learning. We ‘gelled’ as a group really quickly which enhanced the level of learning.
The programme has been a personal journey and exploration, in a way I hadn’t anticipated but have embraced. The insight and challenge that the programme has facilitated has meant that I have learned a lot about myself as well enhanced my coaching skills through the range and depth of the coaching tools and techniques. As well as the skill and capability development through increased knowledge and confidence in using the tools and techniques, the programme has required me to explore my identify as a coach.
As well as the support from Frances during and throughout the formal sessions, Frances has provided me with one to one advice and guidance on my coaching practice including preparation for coaching sessions.
Frances is a knowledgeable and credible facilitator and coach who has expertly guided us through the programme content, creating a ‘safe’ environment which has enabled us to work effectively as a group.
The course material is very comprehensive; both in terms of the ILM criteria as well as the supporting material to the modules that make up the programme and the tools we have covered.
Outside of the modules, I have participated in one webinar which provided further insight and an opportunity to explore and challenge my thinking.

I would highly recommend this course to other senior executives and those seeking to extend and formalise their coaching experience.

I found the course to be very enlightening personally. Not so much as anything revelatory, just that the outcome from some of the models was a true picture of me! I thoroughly enjoyed the 4 modules especially as we were a small group of 3 (with a 4th person joining us on the last module). Being a small group meant there was plenty of opportunity to ask questions, discuss ideas and coach each other. Frances is a very good tutor/facilitator. She clearly knows a lot about coaching as is able to impart that knowledge simply and articulately. She challenged our preconceptions in a constructive way. The learning materials were easy to use, simple to read and giving plenty of food for thought. I liked the balance between the hard copy, PowerPoint and open discussion.
The meeting room facilities were fine although could be a little chilly at times!

Overall, great course that came at just the right time for me. I would be more than happy to recommend and endorse the course and would be happy to be contacted by potential clients as required in the future

The culture, inherent here for 40 years, is starting to shift and much of that can be traced back through the partnership with Q Learning and the strategic projects they have supported us with from working with our Senior Team, through our leadership and management tiers and into the team member groups…. Nothing is too much trouble. An example is Richard will schedule calls with me from the US even if this means him being up in the early hours because of the time difference and Karen really gets ‘under the skin’ of issues when she’s working with individuals and will do whatever is necessary to turn that person’s performance or attitude around.

Providing personal and totally tailored group and individual development coaching, Karen and Richard have become an integral part of our team. I have seen the results of individual coaching build self-confidence which has been reflected back to attentive presentation audiences. With their own unique personable natures and individual skills they are a formidable team.

I have had several meetings with Karen and found them to be really insightful. She has worked with me in a couple of areas which have resulted in positive improvements in both my performance and confidence. By utilising emotional intelligence tools she provided some really accurate feedback which we have gone on to use to develop leadership skills and strategies for action. Her coaching style is supportive, yet challenging, Karen encourages you to look at how and why you do things the way you do.

The Q Learning team delivered the programme in a way that was sensitive to the climate within the organisation and the needs of the participants. The programme was delivered during a time of massive change and uncertainty. The facilitators were sympathetic to this and had an open and honest approach.
Since its delivery the impact of the programme has been noticeable in a number of ways. There is a shared language and understanding across the organisation particularly in terms of priorities, the desired culture and how senior managers can be influential in shaping this. There is a greater appreciation of the roles and responsibilities of Executive Members and the Strategic Management Team and relationships and joint working has been strengthened
The Council would highly recommend Q Learning for any assignments of this nature and we would certainly look to working with them again in the future.

The Glasgow Homelessness Partnership commissioned Q. Learning to help them to increase the engagement of partners and staff. Q. Learning designed and delivered awaydays and workshops from Board level down and their style and method of delivery ensured that this was successful and filtered effectively throughout the organisation.

We have worked closely with Q. Learning since May 2009 when we commissioned them to design a competency framework and then to design and deliver a series of development centres for 250 or our second and third tier leaders which included many clinical directors and other clinical leads.

Our association with Q. Learning dates back over many years but our most recent work with them has been around helping our managers engage with and develop the behaviours that will help take our organisation forward.

I have found that I and all my colleagues benefitted hugely from working with Q. Learning on both occasions. At the time, the experience helped us lead change in a positive and safe way – and the benefit lasts with new skills obtained. I would completely recommend the team at Q. Learning to any organisation going through change. They are brilliant coaches. I will use them again and look forward to that opportunity.