Jayne has nearly doubled her salary since studying a Personal Learning Account course.
Stuck in a rut
Jayne, who is in her 30s, from Cardiff has benefited from studying one of the Welsh Government’s newest fully funded programmes after feeling stunted in her career during the pandemic.
Jayne had been working as part of a small PR and marketing team on a part-time basis when she began her Personal Learning Account to help rewrite her career.
She said, “I have been working in the communications industry for quite a while, but the pandemic hampered my career progression. I had some medical issues that were held up due to the pandemic.
"On top of that, I was juggling working from home and looking after a toddler. I didn't have much spare time for continuing professional development.
“I felt a bit stuck in a rut, and it was difficult to motivate myself to upskill when I didn’t think I had the time or money.
"A Personal Learning Account sounded like the perfect way to boost my career progression in a manageable and flexible way.
"I was able to study flexibly and from home, fitting my study around my work and family time.”
Studying around her commitments
The Prince 2 Agile Foundation course that Jayne studied focuses on how to effectively project manage by using a combination of methods.
Jayne said, “I studied the course remotely but that really suited me because of my little boy. I studied around 5-10 hours a week and thoroughly enjoyed the course’s relevance.
“Although I’ve studied academic courses before, it felt brilliant to complete a course that directly provided transferrable skills.”
After her course, Jayne uploaded the new qualification to her LinkedIn and began noticing an increase in the number of employers that were approaching her.
Jayne continued, “I started to go to interviews, and I felt much more confident having completed the course and gaining another qualification.
“I secured a job within the Civil Service and have since been able to work on a number of cross-government projects, including being part of the communications team for the Queen's State Funeral."
Moving up
“Completing my Personal Learning Account course at Coleg Gwent directly helped me secure a new job and I’d encourage anyone wanting to move up the ladder or try something new to give it a go.
“I didn’t feel tied to an employer, and I had the flexibility and freedom to study around my personal circumstances.”
Explore Personal Learning Accounts to find out more, or get in touch with Working Wales.
