Debbie Gardiner, executive chairman of training provider Qube Learning, was recognised in the 2018 New Year’s Honours list for her work in the further education and charity sector.
Gardiner, who has more than 17 years of leadership and management experience in further education, is passionate about providing high quality training for apprentices, trainees and employers. She was awarded an MBE for services to apprenticeships and charities.
The news follows the positive structural changes recently made within Qube Learning, with Joe Crossley becoming CEO and Gardiner executive chairman.
First appointed as managing director of Qube Learning in 2006, Gardiner was promoted to CEO in 2010 and was announced as executive chairman in December 2017.
Since joining the provider, Gardiner has played a pivotal role in the growth of the business, increasing revenue and driving performance, while creating a family feel within the company based on a set of core values.
Commenting on her award, Gardiner said: “To be awarded an MBE is a great honour and one which I’m so delighted to receive. Working within this sector is very important to me, I’m a firm believer in giving people a chance, providing them with the support, guidance and training they need to have the best chance of success.”
“This honour is a credible acknowledgment of not only the work I have done, but also the momentous effort Qube Learning have put in too.”
Alongside her role at Qube Learning, Gardiner spends much of her personal time undertaking voluntary roles for charity.
She is a cancer research campaigns ambassador for Southwest Bedfordshire and helps to fundraise and raise awareness on the organisation’s political campaigns to improve survival rates.
She is also part of the patient and public involvement group at the Oxfordshire Universities Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and holds a voluntary role on the board of directors for the Association of Employer and Learning Providers (AELP).
Mark Dawe, chief executive of AELP, said: “Debbie Gardiner is a strong and very constructive presence on the board of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers. Her passion to make a difference for the lives of young people is very apparent.”
“Not only does this get expressed through her desire to see apprenticeships grow but she really wants traineeships to succeed for those in our society that need the most support. Debbie’s advice on quality improvement issues is also invaluable. AELP is therefore delighted that she has been recognised in the New Year’s Honours.”