Meet
Ffion

Age: 28

Location: Bampton, Devon

Ffion has worked in various roles, from the NHS to her current role at Devon County Council, where she is supporting secondary schools with dynamic digital skills with the Raising Digital Engagement at KS3 programme.

She was interested in building her project management skills, to build her confidence. She said “I wanted to gain recognised qualifications, such as PRINCE2 and ITIL.” Her manager suggested a Skills Bootcamp, as they are delivered flexibly to fit around working life and are part-funded by the Department for Education. Devon County Council supported her to take on the course alongside her work.

Ffion completed the Project Management Skills Bootcamp with BIT Training, which is part-time, held online for three evenings per week. They invite guest speakers to provide insight into their project management roles in various sectors, including how to incorporate sustainability into projects.

Ffion changed roles whilst on the course but her new line manager and the tutors were able to support her through the transition. This allowed her to continue on the course whilst getting to grips with her new role.

“My employer is positive about flexible working and encourages us to learn new skills. I studied in the evenings and found that I could complete most of the homework required then too, allowing me to keep my weekends to see family and friends and maintaining good wellbeing.”

Debra Steele, Senior Economic Development Officer at Devon County Council, Ffion’s manager, said: “Bootcamps are an excellent way to support all employees. In Ffion’s case, the accreditation highlights her natural talent, which encompasses meticulous planning and organization, effective communication, smooth adaptation to change, and efficient time management.”

Since completing the Skills Bootcamp, Ffion has been busy preparing for the online Prince2 Foundation exam, which is funded through the course. One guest speaker came and talked about the exam and his experience taking it, this made Ffion feel more relaxed about the process and gave an insight into what to expect.

It was great to hear that she is already implementing the skills she has learned in her role at Devon County Council, she said  “It’s given me a deeper understanding of the things that we already do. I’ve gained an improved understanding of governance which I can incorporate into some of the tasks I already complete day to day.”

“The course improved my knowledge around the documentation and processes needed to manage projects of different scales. And it’s helped me to communicate with senior management, because I understand how they have to manage a project and the responsibilities behind that.”

Now, she is excited to take on the next step, backed with the new skills she has learned.

 “In the future I would love to take on more project management responsibility, managing larger projects and progressing my studies with the next level of Prince2.”

“In fact, doing the Skills Bootcamp has opened up conversations with my manager about the future as it’s shown I am keen to learn and that I have potential to step up. This has been an important step for my career progression.”

Ffion encourages anyone considering taking on training alongside work, she said “Go for it! The Skills Bootcamps offer great support, both from tutors, mentors, guest speakers and peers, and there is such a variety of courses to choose from!”

“Our tutors and mentor were brilliant and it was interesting getting to meet peers from other industries.”

Join the thousands supercharging their skills and find out more about the Skills Bootcamps available in Devon and Cornwall this year – discover the range of courses available to adults.