Meet the team

CILEX’s Simon Carr explains his work with employers and higher education providers, why he decided against becoming a lawyer, and his plans to renovate a 50-year-old camper van

What are your roles and responsibilities?

 

I’m a senior business development representative and work mainly with employers, looking to get a better understanding of their training needs and how CILEX can assist them. We take a consultative approach and only suggest a qualification if we are sure it will be the best fit for the organisation and its employees.

Most of the employers I speak to have trained employees through CILEX in the past and we are looking at how we might grow the relationship. I also speak regularly to higher education institutions to see how we can work more closely together and offer their learners greater options post-qualification.

Tell us a bit more about your background? How did you come to work at CILEX?

I used to work in sales for Mercedes and later in transport management. I had always wanted to become a lawyer and so began a law degree, studying through distance learning.

It was while I was studying that I met the managing director of CILEX Law School (CLS) at an Open University careers fair and found out about CILEX. A job came up at CLS as an assistant academic manager, helping to plan courses and liaise with students, offering academic support. I applied and once I got started, found I enjoyed the job so much that, even when I’d finished my degree, I decided against becoming a lawyer, choosing to help others into a legal career instead.

That was almost five years ago. Since then, I have moved into customer services and, in May this year, began working in business development.

I have found my experience with distance learning – something I did whilst working full time, not long after my son was born – has helped me relate to the experience of many CILEX students. My role at CLS has also been helpful as it means I know the CILEX products back to front.

What is a typical day like for you?

I work closely with the customer services team so will often start my day in a huddle with them, sorting out priorities. After that I’m likely to be putting together information for employers, meeting them online or face-to-face to assess their training needs.

Increasingly, public and private sector organisations are looking to train up their own in-house teams rather than use law firms. They are keen to invest in upskilling their people. Employers want to attract and retain staff and see learning and development as an important aspect of what they can offer.

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m currently looking to expand on the work we have undertaken so far with higher education providers, to collaborate with them on their qualifications, in some case endorsing their degrees, so that they segue neatly into the CPQ. This allows students holding those qualifications to start the CPQ at a more advanced level, creating more pathways to becoming a CILEX Lawyer.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

There’s a real satisfaction in knowing I am doing something worthwhile. That gets me up in the morning. I love speaking to learners and employers and looking at how CILEX can work for them.

Being able to witness the progression of learners that I first spoke to several years ago and watching them develop into accomplished legal professionals is hugely rewarding, as is playing a part in helping shape CILEX for a new generation of learners.

What do you like to do away from your job to relax/have fun? 

I’m a qualified scuba diving instructor and so teach people to dive in my spare time. Living in Bedford, I’m quite a long way from the sea, meaning I spend a lot of time driving down to the coast. I’m currently renovating a rather rusty, 50-year-old VW camper van which I hope to get up and running so that I can camp in comfort.