Interview with Shannon Beales, learner at Harlow College

Shannon studied the CMI Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management at Harlow College. We caught up with Shannon to discuss her experience of studying an Online and On Campus course.

What was the reason that you studied a management course? 

During the pandemic the government announced an upskilling program in Harlow, which included management and leadership course options. I am already in management so it aligned with what I was doing. I initially completed the level 3 management qualification as part of the upskilling initiative, then progressed onto the Level 5, which was funded by government grants.

I never had any formal qualifications as I went straight into work after I left school. These management courses were a great opportunity for me that I knew would help me grow.   

Could you briefly talk through your career to date and how you got started?

I started out waitressing, and initially thought about moving into management, possibly in hotels. However I saw that the hours and compensation were not great. I decided to move into an office-based role, which I stayed in for a few years. Following that I joined Pearson – where I’ve been for 16 years!

At Pearson I started as an inventory controller, managing stock levels. As I gained skills and knowledge I began to progress and take on larger projects. I then decided I wanted to be a manager and specialist in my field, and to do so I had to gain new skills and qualifications. 

Why was the Online and On Campus approach helpful for learners and for yourself? 

As a mature student the blended delivery meant I had the flexibility to study around my personal life and your work commitments. Taking only one day off per month to go to college, and still being available to work for anything urgent, was helpful. There’s no way that I could have gone to college full time.

What did you think about the video lessons and the quality of the content?

I liked the visuals and how interactive the videos were. Having the supporting material to read through, and videos to illustrate the content, was great and how I like to learn.  The videos were short with bite sized chunks of information. They were all very well structured, and you could speed them up, or slow them down when you needed to. The questions along with the videos helped reinforce your understanding. 

What would you say about the quality and navigation and how the VLE supported your learning?  

The VLE was absolutely perfect and I could easily navigate it. In one instance I had to ‘raise a ticket’ and contact the Mindful Education team about a question, but the team dealt with it swiftly. 

What did you like the most about the course?

Being in a room of different people from different companies with different perspectives. I was also able to take what I’d learnt from the course and use that in my day-to-day work.  Doing both of these courses was a really reflective time for me, and I enjoyed growing as a person.

How have you found the on campus classes? 

You’ve got classmates around you who are supportive and you can check in with them and ask for ideas. Our tutor Bev was amazing, she was always very patient and supportive.

Do you have any final thoughts or comments at all about your experience?

I’ve actually been approached to be a mentor at work, which had never happened before!  It was really nice to be approached and cements what I’ve learned and how much I’ve grown professionally. It’s only through the course that I’ve realised how I could be helping others.