At Q5, we are passionate about helping young people thrive as they prepare to become the future workforce.
The Q5 Foundation allowed us to setup the Youth Panel, Futures Taskforce, and University Consulting. These programmes provide young people with the opportunity to build skills, share their voices, and gain real-world experience. Empowering the next generation of leaders, thinkers, and innovators.
Every summer, we run an application process open to all 15 to 18-year-olds in the UK. We select a panel of up to 14 young people who convene four times a year at our London office or virtually.
The panel allows us to generate rich qualitative insight about what young people want from their future workplace. Adding to the thinking and advice we provide to clients. In 2023/2024, we covered topics such as the world of work, multi-generational workforce, Diversity & Inclusion, and sustainability.
Panellists gain valuable experience and knowledge about how consulting works and join the ever-growing Youth Panel alumni. Allowing them to remain connected to Q5 and each other.
The Q5 Futures Taskforce is an annual program that brings together students from different universities and disciplines. The Taskforce allows students to explore future megatrends and participate in interactive workshops in our London office, allowing them to share multidisciplinary thinking and insights into the latest academic research.
In 2024/25, the Futures Taskforce focused on the theme of the impact of AI and Automation on the future of work across different industry sectors. A summary of the Taskforce’s findings can be found here.
For the 2025/26 cohort, the students are researching the topic of Multigenerational Workforce and looking to understand how businesses can harness the benefits of employing different generations to drive better business outcomes and company culture.
The Futures Taskforce is a major component of Q5’s research and development. Its output contributes to how we manage and respond to change in our areas of expertise.
Through Q5’s Emerging Consultants initiative, Q5 supports and provides training sessions for volunteer student consultants part of 180 Degrees Consulting at the University of Bath and the University of Nottingham.
180 Degrees Consulting is the world’s largest consultancy for non-profits and social enterprises. Through 180DC, university students provide high-quality consulting services to social impact organisations with light-touch support from management consultants, to help improve and expand their services.
Q5 has supported 180 Degrees Consulting since 2018. We have supported over 300 students through providing Q5er project support, running numerous training events, providing funding, and hosting our annual Q5 Consulting Hackathon event.
We’re thrilled that our Foundation works with a huge number and range of people and charities every year. If there’s something in our Foundation which sounds interesting and you’d like to learn more, please reach out. Please use this form to apply for Pop Up Consultancy support or a Research Collaboration, or to register interest in one of our Young People programmes, including our Youth Panel, University Consultancies and Futures Taskforce.
