“With Level 6, any employer will see you’re worth the investment”

Talk to Luke Keenan, operations manager at Queensgate Shopping Centre in Peterborough, and you quickly get the impression of a young manager who has his work life all mapped out – from his educational pathway to his career goals. 

“It’s about avoiding complacency,” he explains. “Unless you're actually where you want to be, you’re just settling.” 

It wasn’t always like this. Just four years ago, Luke was at a low point. His mother had just passed away, and he felt he wasn’t going anywhere in his career. Having worked on a farm and then as a doorman, his role at the time involved responding to break-ins on building sites, often in the middle of the night. He didn’t enjoy it. But the bereavement – and the responsibility of looking after the little dog he got to help him through his grief – gave him the drive to aim higher. 

An “unbelievable” journey

Luke had the idea to use some of the money he inherited to pay for management training – first on a safety management course, then with an entry-level security qualification. At the time, he thought he was equipping himself to manage door staff. Instead, he secured a role at the shopping centre. 

“I got the job and had six weeks to move my entire life 100 miles,” he recalls. 

It was worth the upheaval. Within two years, the company had restructured and offered Luke more responsibility. He became Queensgate’s operations manager, in charge of 30 people across a security team and an operations team, as well as a substantial budget.

Still only 30, Luke shares with pride that he now owns a “nice BMW”, has a decent home for himself and his dog, and employs a personal trainer. So, if the 26-year-old Luke could have seen all this unfolding in such a short time, what would he have thought? 

“When I gave myself this goal, I wanted to hit it at 32. I did it at 28”

“I wouldn’t have believed it,” he says. “Four years ago, everything just seemed negative. And when I gave myself this goal, I wanted to hit it at 32. I did it at 28.”

Hitting the books

Luke’s promotion sparked a second major development. His centre director is a huge advocate for further education. She sent Luke to Solent University to study for a CertHE in retail leisure management (Level 4). There, he gained a foundational understanding of retail management, including marketing, landlord law and lease law. He passed at the start of July.