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23 Nov 2005 14:52:02
A six-month course at the University of Luton helped 40-year-old Alison Butler change her mind about leaving her job at an electronics firm.
The course, called Unlocking the Potential of Women, gave her the confidence to move up the career ladder at Comark Ltd, where she has worked for the last four years.
She enrolled on the course at the University’s Putteridge Bury campus when she was considering a move.
The mother of two from Letchworth, explained: “I enjoyed my role as publicity assistant but was looking for a more challenging and responsible role. I felt the course content was very relevant and would help me to assess and improve my skills.”
Alison’s employer was supportive and gave her the time to attend the University.
“The course enabled me to consider my strengths and weaknesses in relation to my current job,” said Alison.
“I found the work-based assignments particularly useful – not only did they improve my report writing skills but they helped me to recognise exactly how I could develop and improve my role.
“My line manager and managing director read my reports, so they knew what I was covering and how I planned to improve my performance.”
By the end of the course, Alison was looking forward to implementing her new skills in her current role and realised she was not ready to leave.
But she was still keen to progress her career: “In July, my manager resigned and I was appointed to the post of marketing executive, with responsibility for managing a wide range of marketing activities. This is exactly the move I needed.”
Alison was one of 160 women looking to increase their confidence to further their careers with the University’s free career development course.
The European Social Fund (ESF) programme aims to give women the confidence to achieve their potential and develop skills needed in today’s work environment.
Forty four per cent of the UK workforce is made up of women – and the average woman receives less training than any other group, according to recent government figures.
All participants gained a nationally recognised qualification with the Institute of Leadership and Management (the Introductory Certificate in Team Leading). They also achieved credits for the University of Luton, which they can use when applying for other courses.
The course gave Alison a taste for further education, but for now wants to concentrate on putting her new skills into practice.
“I have decided to settle into my new role this year and look at continuing my education at a later date,” she added.
For further information about career development courses, contact Cathy Havill at the University of Luton’s Business Unit, on 01582 743176.
Latest news» 2005» Nov» Firm Helps Alison to Unlock Potential for Promotion
