Student Profiles

Ashleigh Reed

Human Resource Management, Foundation Degree

I left school in 2003 and went straight into a Business Administration Apprenticeship with City College Plymouth. I completed an NVQ Level 2 and Level 3 in Business Administration whilst undertaking my Apprenticeship. I have been working full-time at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry in the HR department since April 2005, as a HR Administrative Assistant. I studied a Foundation Degree in Human Resource Management part-time whilst working and it was an extremely worthwhile qualification to undertake.

Recently, due to absence within my team, I have been undertaking quite a few extra responsibilities which I had not been used to in my existing role. Many of the modules that I undertook as part of my foundation degree helped me to ease into these new responsibilities without too much stress or worry. I felt able to cope with advising customers on recruitment and selection procedures and other HR matters, as I had dealt with these aspects as part of my course. I had been given the confidence I needed to progress in HR.
 
The lecturers on my course were very approachable and I had no qualms in going to them for advice regarding my assignments. The course was very flexible and I was able to attend lectures around my full-time job. If I needed to miss a lecture due to work commitments, there was always another session I could attend later in the week.

I enjoyed learning new things at the College and being able to apply these to everyday life. I found myself reading the news relating to the current economic climate and finding myself not only understanding what was being said but also being interested in it.

I also enjoyed being able to apply the things I had learnt to my work place. I learn better when I can apply it with real life things and it helped me to understand the subjects better.

This course has given me not only confidence but a good grounding allowing me to see a future of sustainable employment which is a huge relief in this economic age. I hope to move onto become a HR Advisor or Office Manager in the future. Once I have built up the experience I need to match the knowledge I have gained there should be no stopping me.

Kay Harding

Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector, Diploma

Hudson Webb is a legal practice specialising in the practice of Family Law. As with any specialism there is an overlap with various other areas of law and there are a variety of transferrable skills which can be learned in one profession which apply to another.

I have attended the Diploma in Teaching in the Life Long Learning Sector and have experienced the teaching of law outside of my own specialist field.

Attending this course has allowed me to develop my own personal knowledge in the peripheral areas of practice and has enabled me to gain CPD training in a more varied manner.  This has had a direct improvement on my personal development.
The teaching skills I have learned are directly applicable to my practice as solicitor in that I have learned about the way people learn and assimilate information which has improved my skills in explaining legal concepts to clients and in dealing with other professionals. I will be able to use these skills to develop staff training within the practice.

The support which I have received on the course has been immeasurable and has enabled me to see how these skills and attributes can be applied not only to a teaching practice but also for the benefit of my clients.

I have observed a range of vocational training including the Institute of Legal Executives Level 3 and level 6 courses, Public Services and foundation degrees within the college generally.  The professional background of the practitioner lecturers particularly enhances and complements the experienced lecturers in providing students with a complete learning experience.  The approach has been direct, varied and practical ensuring students learn life-skills within their chosen occupations and I have similarly benefited from my own studies.

Paul Cumbers

Management Diploma, Level 5 - CMI

This qualification bridges a gap between academic and vocational qualifications. I currently work for a large FTSE 100 company and have completed a number of internal management courses, however most of these are not recognised in external jobs markets - this course fulfils this requirement.

The course also balances management theory with practical application and provides a major focus on planning for successful outcomes, plus development of a broad set of management competencies. To my knowledge here are very few courses that cover how to develop as a manager. Purely academic courses don’t necessarily provide this.   

I enjoy the group discussions with course peers who are from a diverse range of other sectors. What this has highlighted is that while there some fundamental differences in say public and private sector organisations, many of the day-to-day management issues are very similar; the net effect is a greater appreciation of the diversity of business in general.

This course has allowed me to become a member of the Chartered Management Institute and I intend to achieve Chartered Status - this course is an enabler for this objective.

Kevin Ridgers

Public Services, Foundation Degree

I have recently been accepted into the Police force and have just completed my initial training I am convinced that studying for a BTEC National Diploma and a Foundation Degree in Public Services at the College gave me the attributes I needed to fulfil my career ambition.

The skills I developed on the courses made the difference between success and failure at my police interview. My previous experience of leadership and team building helped during the initial assessment, and my knowledge of laws and offences meant that I already had an understanding of the assessments.

I attended a number of work placements whilst at the College, from working with the Fire Services to helping out disabled teenagers, which I feel has given me an element of ease and comfort with all members of the public and in all situations.

I highly recommend the public services courses as they fully prepare anyone for work in this sector.