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1 minute read
Ian Jones and QMI were respected competitors of SQMC, and their contributions to Quality Assurance in Scotland remain noteworthy. Former QMI stalwart (and now SQMC trainer) Cath Macneil reflects on her 15 years at the Aberdeen-based training and consultancy company.
I worked with QMI Scotland Limited for 3 years as a freelance consultant, taking on work when their full-time consultants were busy. This led to some interesting projects, including some rather bespoke work in Quality and Nuclear Safety. It was good work, sometimes tiring but very rewarding.
I then worked abroad for 4 years and on my return, QMI Scotland Limited were looking for a new in-house consultant: perfect timing!
It was then that I went through the process of being trained as a trainer for the IRCA registered auditor courses, and paired this with the consultancy work. At that time, QMI Scotland Limited had two directors: Ian Jones (one of the "three Ians" who made up the Quality Assurance industry in Scotland in those days, along with Ian Hannah and Ian Dunlop, founders of the Scottish Quality Management Centre (SQMC) and Cumbernauld-based QCS International, respectively), as well as Jack Dunn.
Ian and Jack took great pride in their organisation, and looked after their team and their clients very well. I was particularly impressed that:
1) QMI Scotland Limited were keen to help their clients create systems that they were able to maintain themselves – so they didn’t need to pay for on-going help. I have tried to keep that philosophy throughout the rest of my career, and would mention that SQMC share it, wholeheartedly.
2) QMI Scotland Limited's honesty when they couldn’t help, and the fact that they were able to put potential clients in touch with better qualified help (in my time, that was usually with regards to environmental consultancy).
3) QMI Scotland Limited's relationship with its regular training clients. We really got to know the clients well, through their regular students. I remember fondly regularly visiting a large certification company and one of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies, to deliver QMI's courses.
Times change and things move on. Jack retired to look after his many grandchildren and focus more on homelife. Ian always said that he loved the work so much that he would only leave when he had to, and so it was.
I was sad to see QMI Scotland Limited's demise. But without these two leaders, it was missing its heart. On the plus side, I'm delighted to continue training Aberdeen's Internal and Lead Auditors, with SQMC.
