Michelle’s story

Employer: Healthwatch Cornwall

Job Title: Project Officer

Course: Project Management for Business – Level 4

My story:

Michelle decided to study the Project Management for Business – Level 4 course at Truro and Penwith College’s Future Skills Institute to further her career at Healthwatch Cornwall.

Michelle was working in the role of Outreach and Engagement Officer while completing her training and as a result has been successful in applying for the role of Project Officer at Healthwatch Cornwall, boosting her career to the benefit of her employer.

Michelle said: “The impact the training has had on me has been phenomenal, I was previously working in Outreach and Engagement and now I’m a Project Officer in the Project Team.

“I enjoyed learning about project management methodologies and how to apply them to Healthwatch Cornwall’s work. It was interesting and useful to observe different business in various sectors and how Project Management was used.”

Michelle needed an extension to a deadline during the course and found the tutors and College very supportive, she continued: “I found the tutor Suzanne very supportive. She made herself available to talk through any concerns and provided additional support to help with understanding. I had to apply for an extension due to extenuating circumstances and this process was made easier by the college staff and AHLS team.”

The course also offered guidance appointments to introduce learners to the course, which Michelle found particularly helpful: “The guidance appointment was really useful and gave me a great understanding of the course and what was expected of me.”

Thanks to her training Michelle has now progressed in her career, Michelle said: “The training gave me a good understanding of the foundations of project work which gave me the confidence to apply for the Project Officer role and work within the Project team.

“The Project team has grown which has enabled Healthwatch Cornwall to undertake additional projects which has widened our reach throughout Health and Social Care in Cornwall.”

Michelle has gained the confidence to set her sights high and aims to progress even further in her career to the role of Project Manager: “I am still very much enjoying my role as a Project Officer and still learning lots but would like to progress to a Project Manager within Health and Social Care in the future. The Project Management for Business – Level 4 course has given me the confidence to progress my career and take this step forward when the opportunity arises.”

When asked why she would recommend professional training at Truro and Penwith College’s Future Skills Institute, Michelle said: “I found all staff helpful and easy to contact to ask questions. Setting up everything needed for the course was straightforward and the delivery sites used are all innovative. There was a huge variety of additional information available in the library and on Moodle to support the course.”