Member Article

People Academy provides exciting pathways and real opportunities for career progression and on-going learning

In a creative move to develop new and exciting career pathways for its staff, GT3 Architects has launched a People Academy across its business.

With headcount increasing to nearly 50 at its Newcastle and Nottingham studios, GT3 believes its People Academy will provide the creative catalyst for its architects, technologists and business support team to both hone their professional skill sets and to become actively involved in areas of specific interest to them such as marketing, research and development, information technology, quality management and culture. A dedicated group has been established for each area, to include a director, a designated leader and team members.

Michael Simpson, culture group leader at GT3 Architects, said: “We are known for our creative thinking and our innovative approaches in our projects and processes. As we continue to grow, it is important that we apply the same level of creative thinking to our people and how we support our staff in the business. We want to ensure that creativity flows throughout the teams and the formation of the People Academy, and the various groups that sit within it, will ensure we develop a holistic company culture that embraces sharing, collaboration, learning and career development.”

Alongside its People Academy, the company has recently launched an internal campaign, ‘Refreshingly Different’, which focuses on company culture and how this links to GT3’s commitment to its people architecture ethos. An evolved GT3 Architects brand sees more emphasis given to people within the business, more colour to reflect the diversity of those people and the incorporation of the company’s Performance + consultancy service, which had previously sat as a separate entity, in recognition of its increasing value in GT3 projects.

Blanche Simmons, practice manager said: “In so many practices the career path becomes congested because staff are requested to stick steadfastly to the disciplines in which they have trained and are qualified. By encouraging staff to develop another skill set, they can progress smoothly through the firm and take up more senior roles knowing that both they and the business are benefiting from their additional expertise.

“As well as having a strategic focus, the People Academy enables our Nottingham and Newcastle studios to come together and celebrate the great talent within the teams. Most recently, we enjoyed an annual retreat which saw colleagues enjoy an inspirational coaching seminar as well as celebrate our fantastic achievements over the last 12 months. It is important that as the teams expand, we all retain the same vision and values.”

One of the more recent people to join the GT3 Architects team, Jayen Pancholi said “I have been very grateful for the opportunity to get involved with the People Academy here. It provides all of us with the opportunity to put our skills to good use in different ways. We can continually sharpen our abilities by applying them to different contexts. It is great to be able to contribute to the success of the organisation outside of projects and to see what we learn in our Part 3s come to life.’

Formed in 2016 when +3 Architecture and GT Architects merged, turnover has increased from £2.4 million to £3.2 million in the last year.

GT3 Architects is expert in sports and leisure, hospitality, entertainment, master planning, mixed-use, workplace and residential and heritage sectors. Its skills include architecture, interior design, master planning and consultancy and it is recognised for innovative and sustainable projects in a range of sectors, including education, civic, retail and residential.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by GT3 Architects .