One year on from my higher education student journey – Nicki Artwell-Ikwele

Graduating from her Level 5 Diploma in HR Management really was the start of great things for Nicki.  Just a few weeks later, she was in her new chosen career.  It was her qualification that made all the difference to her success, as she explains here.

It’s true what they say about a lack of qualifications holding you back from getting your dream job.  Even when you have plenty of experience behind you.

This is what I came to realise in the summer of 2018.  I’d applied for one HR role after another but was told that without the right qualification to support me, I couldn’t be a strong enough contender.  This is despite me having years of customer service, people and managerial experience.

Fast forward two years, with a qualification under my belt, I’ve been a HR Advisor for a Building Society and I am now a HR Generalist for a plastics manufacturer.  It all worked out for me in the end.

This is why I urge anyone else keen to achieve career success in a set area and who needs a qualification to just to do it.

I’m not saying it’s easy.  I started my diploma during maternity leave.  I was caring for a newborn and a two-year-old.  There were days when I wondered what I’d got myself in to.

I was the only learner on the course not working in HR at the time.  This was a bit daunting.  Then as time went on, it turned out the HR advisory skills I’d developed, particularly in my recent role as a retail manager, held me in good stead.

My classmates praised me for what I could do.  These people are now part of my industry network.  Through them I heard about two job roles I could apply to.  When I attended the interviews, the recruiters already knew a bit about me.  This made me feel good.

I can’t emphasise enough just how much of an impact studying this diploma is having on my career. Prior to my Diploma, I was receiving rejections.  Now recruiters are calling me for roles!

The 2019 higher education ceremony felt like it was ‘our day’.  We’d worked so hard over the past year, juggling work, families and studying.  I’m glad I made the most of it, including having a go at being a Town Crier.

Congratulations to all of Walsall College’s 2020 graduates.  Hopefully this is the start of something exciting for you too.