particular course. She explains “I have had a strong interest in business since I was at school, where in addition to my GCSE’s (the UK equivalent of Matric) I also took a GNVQ (General National Vocational Qualification) in Business Studies. After that I went on to do Business Studies at A Level before studying for a degree in Business Management at Cardiff University”.

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Nicola continues, “Throughout my studies, Human Resources was always an area which caught my interest, as the idea of seeing people as an organisation’s key resource in achieving competitive advantage is one I truly believe in. Therefore effective HR departments are vital in ensuring organisations meet their strategic goals. This interest prompted me to specialise in HR in my second and final years at university. When I graduated in 2008, my career began with a position as an HR Administrator. After that I moved into my current position as an HR Adviser for the Chartered Insurance Institute in London, UK.

interesting area to work in and she enjoys the fact that no two days are ever the same. She clarifies, “My role encompasses areas such as recruitment, learning and development, and compensation and benefits. It also provides the challenge of constantly needing to keep my knowledge and skills up to date, with frequent changes to law, legislation and best practice impacting HR policies and procedures”.

When asked why she chose this particular qualification, Nicola says, “After working in my role as an HR Adviser for a year, I chose to begin studying for the Post-Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management. This provides accreditation for the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development’s (CIPD) Advanced Diploma – which is their highest academic qualification. I chose to study for this qualification

Nicola believes that HR is a varied and

icola recently passed her first two modules with distinction and was very happy to share with us why she had chosen this

because professional recognition is vital when embarking on a career in Human Resources, and the qualification allows me to build relevant knowledge and skills directly applicable to my role. I have also had full support and encouragement from my manager in undertaking the qualification, and the opportunity to review and discuss my progress”.

Metropolitan University because “it provides a wide variety of professional qualifications and caters for those working full-time, providing evening and weekend lectures and exams, and it has a number of campuses located around London. This has been extremely convenient for me, allowing me to work my usual Monday to Friday 9am-5pm job, and then go to university on Tuesday and Thursday nights 6pm-9pm, as well as attending occasional weekend study days.

Studying while working full-time has been challenging, as the course involves a lot of class time and a lot of independent studying which means that I have very little spare time left over. However, I have always enjoyed studying and the course has allowed me to meet a lot of new people working in similar areas, which is a great advantage socially and professionally”.

Nicola feels that she is fortunate to be in a job where she is encouraged to progress and be given opportunities to develop her skills. Nicola says that she has a lot to learn in the current position as she is still at an early stage in her career. “In the future I would like to progress to a managerial HR role, however the route I will take will be that which allows maximum opportunity for learning and continuous development”.

the very best of luck for the future. August 2011 | Management Today 25

Here at Management Today we wish Nicola Nicola chose to study at the London