This week, our Employee Spotlight shines on Will Swann, our Training & Compliance Manager. We took a minute to sit down with Will to learn more about his job role and how he spends his time outside of work.
🟢 You’ve been with QST for (how long) now, Why are you still here?
“I have been working at QST for just over a year now – I started in February 2024, back when I had slightly more hair. 😂 So why am I still here? It’s because I genuinely believe in what QST is doing. There’s something deeply satisfying about knowing that the work we do improves people’s quality of life. I enjoy that kind of job satisfaction.”
🟢 Can you run us through a typical day in your job role?
“My day usually starts with several coffees and scrolling through emails like I’m reading true crime novels. It’s a colourful blend of checklists, queries, training, accreditations and usually someone asking if they need to wear a respirator.
Most of my day is spent reviewing documentation, making sure our training records are up-to-date and ensuring our risk assessments are more comprehensive than Wikipedia.
Throughout the day, I take calls from employees and customers, resolving issues and answering queries. I investigate incidents, liaise with management about products and gently nudge people toward completing their training. Ideally with humour, but sometimes with a firm push and a strongly worded email. 😂
Then I head home, where with three young children, my workday starts all over again.”
🟢 What is the best part of your job?
“Getting the job done well – and seeing our teams go into challenging environments and come out with happy tenants, safe homes and clean walls – is incredibly rewarding. I also love the sheer variety of the role. One minute I’m delivering a presentation to customers, the next I’m explaining why respirators and beards aren’t best friends.”
🟢 What’s the best piece of advice you have received in your career so far?
“The best piece of advice I’ve ever received, and one truly shifted my perspective, was ‘An Investment in Knowledge pays the best interest.’ I’m a keen learner and love understanding how things work and how everything is done. I probably spend more time watching documentaries and how-to videos online than anything else. Knowledge builds confidence, and confidence opens doors.”
🟢 What do you like to get up to in your spare time?
“I’m married and a father of three – I have a distant memory of spare time! 😂
When I do manage to sneak some in, I enjoy open spaces and the great outdoors. I love walking, kayaking, shooting, and exploring places I haven’t visited before. I’m happiest out in the countryside, away from the busyness of life, listening to running water and birdsong.”
🟢 If you could move to any other country, which would you move to?
“Truthfully, I’m happy right here in the UK – no need for a far-flung island or tropical escape. If I had to move, I wouldn’t even leave the country. I’d just pack up and head straight for the Yorkshire Dales.
The scenery is unbeatable, the pace of life is calmer, and something is grounding about being surrounded by rolling hills, dry stone walls, and sheep who couldn’t care less about deadlines. It’s the kind of place where your phone signal drops, but your sense of peace skyrockets.
No passport needed – just a good pair of wellies, a proper brew, and a solid appreciation for fruitcake with Wensleydale cheese.
🟢 What are the top three things on your bucket list?
“Having kids has completely reshaped my bucket list. Once upon a time, it was all about adrenaline and adventure. Now? It’s still about adventure, but it’s shared, meaningful, and usually involves a lower risk of hospitalisation.
That said, flying a Lancaster Bomber, Hawker Hurricane, or Spitfire is still firmly on the list. Something is awe-inspiring about those machines – the engineering, the history, the roar of the engines.
But what’s taken priority now is making memories my kids will remember forever. That’s what matters most.”
🟢 What is your biggest pet peeve?
“Now, this is a dangerous question—mainly because once I start, I might not stop. But if I had to choose just one… It’s the human race.
Not all humans, of course—many are fantastic. But if you’ve ever kept up with the news or cracked open a history book, you’ll know there are some truly awful ones out there, too.
Honestly, why can’t everyone just be nice to each other?”
🟢 If you could see one movie again for the first time, what would it be and why?
“If I’m being honest, I’m not a big fan of movies or TV shows. I spend most of my screen time on YouTube, where I can learn something. I just don’t see the point in watching a two-hour movie when, at the same time, I could watch someone disassemble and reassemble an engine – and learn the whole process along the way.”
🟢 If you had a talk show, what three people would you invite on, dead or alive?
“Now this is a question I’ve genuinely thought about – usually while people-watching in shopping centres, coffee shops, or supermarket car parks. I love a good debate. Not the shouty kind, but a proper, passionate exchange of ideas that makes you question everything.
So, if I had my own talk show, I wouldn’t go for celebrities or headline-chasers. I’d invite three of the most opinionated minds from history—not to agree, but to clash beautifully. Watching them battle it out over politics, philosophy, and religion would be more entertaining (and probably more educational) than most of what’s on TV today.”