The path to becoming a manager hasn’t been an easy one for Kirsty Watson. 

As a teenager, she found herself homeless and was put into care for her own safety. Kirsty describes her first experience of starting an apprenticeship at 17 as “pretty dire”. Yet, despite the hurdles she’s faced, she’s forged a path to the top, driven by her determination to help other people avoid some of the difficulties she’s encountered. 

Now, as founder and Managing Director of training firm Qualia Academy, she’s helping change the world of work for the better for hundreds of people across West Yorkshire. The company, based in Huddersfield, delivers apprenticeships in marketing, as well as training for employers on topics such as neurodiversity, inclusivity, and tailored leadership courses. 

Kirsty is also the founder of the Society for Equity for Entrepreneurs, Leaders and Managers, Chair of Cloverleaf Advocacy, Trustee of Rees Foundation and Board Non- Executive Board Director of National Hair and Beauty Federation. Kirsty also spent six years on the board of the Chartered Management Institute.  

“All the work that I’ve done, with Qualia, Cloverleaf, Rees Foundation the Federation and the Society, is aimed at getting people into jobs, or getting them into better jobs where they get paid more.” 

Theory vs reality

Kirsty began the Help to Grow: Management Course at Huddersfield Business School at the University of Huddersfield in 2023, after studying for a Masters in Business Administration there. Despite her already-strong academic background, her tutors could see the opportunities the Help to Grow: Management Course would provide. 

“They recognised that the course is more about the application of the knowledge, whereas my Masters was more theoretical. It was a very different learning experience. 

“Coming into Help to Grow: Management, I was already equipped with lots of knowledge of the various models and frameworks taught on the course, but what really helped me was learning from other people about how they’d applied them. I wouldn't have got that in a purely academic situation, so that was a big selling point for me. For example, I might have applied a PESTLE in quite a one-track-minded way, whereas other people on the course from different industries gave me an understanding of how to do it differently.” 

The power of accountability

Being part of a community that held her accountable was a hugely valuable aspect of the course for Kirsty. 

“I’m diagnosed Autistic and ADHD,  and one of the things I find difficult as a business owner, at the top of the decision-making scale, is that there’s no one to hold me to account. During the course, my tutor and the rest of the class would take on that role. You’d set your expectations the week before and then talk about progress at the next session, and I found that really useful.” 

Being forced to focus in that way is, Kirsty says, her single biggest takeaway from the course. 

“I am currently doing a PhD in Business and Leadership where my supervisor refers to me as being a magpie, constantly seeing shiny objects elsewhere and getting distracted by all the new things I could be doing. The course helped me focus and drill down on what we do exceptionally well.  

As a direct result of the course and her new-found confidence, Kirsty applied for a new stream of funding from her local council, which led to Qualia Academy being able to introduce a neurodiversity training programme, resulting in significant business growth. 

“I was stuck in the frame of mind that ‘this is what we do and this is where we stay’, but it helped me change my approach and really persevere to get the application [for the funding] finished.” 

Practical differences

As someone who suffers from dyscalculia, Kirsty wasn’t looking forward to the finance module, but ended up finding it the most valuable. 

“Being with people from other organisations helped me realise I'm not the only person who struggles. It was good to see that other people had similar wobbles, but to learn from each other’s strengths too.” 

 The digital transformation module was also helpful, introducing Kirsty to new project management tools and techniques, which she has since adopted within Qualia. 

“It’s helped with project management but also communication within the organisation. We work with quite a lot of neurodivergent individuals and having things colour-coded or with allocated timelines has proved really useful. Things feel much smoother.” 

Strong foundations

Secured new funding

Revenue has tripled

As for the future, Kirsty is now working towards a PhD in entrepreneurship and marginalisation, while continuing to grow Qualia’s neurodiversity training offering. The company has also begun offering training for strategic boards too. Revenue has tripled since 2023/24. 

Her message for anyone considering the course is to go for it, regardless of their academic background. 

“I thought the connection between academia and industry that the course offered was brilliant, but you definitely don’t need to have studied before like I have. The whole process was broken down into usable chunks, in language that people in the room understood.” 

“On the flip side, if you already have some academic knowledge, don’t write it off because you feel you don’t need to do it. ‘Book smart’ is not the same as actually applying that knowledge. This course gives you the ability to learn all the tools and frameworks from the hands-on experience side of things.” 

Find out how the Help to Grow: Management Course can further your business here.  

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