Paul Taylor

I have had an extensive career working in further education after starting out in the Hospitality sector, working for numerous brands around the world, finishing with Hilton Hotels in the UK.

Thereafter, I joined Qube Learning in 2009 as a Trainee Hospitality Assessor. Looking to develop my career further, I took the opportunity to complete my IQA qualification. Since then I worked my way up the business structure, filling roles such as Employability Tutor, Traineeship Tutor and Traineeship Manager, where I devised one of the best Traineeship programmes in the country.

I was promoted to Head of Pre-Employment in 2018 and developed the Traineeship department into a very profitable part of the business. The department has the highest outcome rates in the country, even during the Covid-19 pandemic, working alongside well-known brands such as Matalan, Specsavers, JD Group, Wickes and Foot Locker.

I have been working as an Employability Skills Director since April 2022 and continue to manage senior managers and their teams who are supporting jobseekers into training and workplace opportunities.

‘Supporting young people into work remains a passion for me and something I ensure all staff share who work within the department. Not every young person is capable of going down the set academic route, but this should not disqualify them from their career of choice. As Employability Skills Director, my responsibility is to ensure that unemployed Students we work with are given the best possible chance to progress their careers from the age of 16-65.