GTA - FIVE FACES TO WATCH IN 2013
Samantha Brehaut
works as a human resources business partner for Marketing and Projects at Specsavers and is currently completing an MSc in Management with Human Resources/CIPD. “HR is becoming an increasingly competitive sector to work in so becoming CIPD qualified is crucial to progress within HR.” “The idea of being able to study whilst being in full time employment was appealing,” she said. The course is specifically designed for HR professionals that would like to work and study at the same time to gain the CIPD qualification. “The topics covered varied from very HR focused for example people resourcing and development to marketing and strategy. I am now working on my 15,000 word dissertation which needs to be completed by December 2012.”
Gez Overstall
works at JT Guernsey as a service delivery manager and is currently in the second year of a two year MBA course with the GTA University Course taught by the University of Southampton. “I decided to undertake the MBA to develop myself both personally and professionally and having recently completed year one of the course, I can say that my experience has been very positive. The standard of teaching is high and the on island learning facilities provided by the GTA are excellent. The course involves two years of part time study including lectures, individual and group assignments, group presentations, exams and a dissertation. There are 12 of us currently on the course with a range of industry backgrounds including managers, executives and university graduates.” A variety of management disciplines are taught during the MBA course including Leadership and
Hannah Ellis
works at Specsavers as a digital marketing assistant manager and has just completed the post graduate course in Digital Marketing. The course is one of the newest on offer from the GTA University Centre. The one year, part–time course is run in association with the University of Southampton. Hannah Ellis, Digital Marketing Assistant Manager at Specsavers, has just completed the course. “I saw an advert for the course in the Guernsey Press and thought that the areas it covered were appropriate to my job, so I decided to apply. It’s great that the GTA provide this course as it’s still a fairly new subject and you might not expect to be able to do it locally. Part of the appeal was that I could study part-time and earn a recognised qualification without needing to leave the island or my job.” The course has six modules, including Introduction to Marketing, Consumer Insight, Data Driven Marketing, Marketing communications and Media Management, Digital
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It was important for Samantha that studying for a qualification was also a sociable experience. “The people I have studied with have really made the course for me. It was a small group of six and I guess we were lucky we all got on so well.” “With everyone working within HR it was really beneficial to gain exposure to other organisations and how their HR function operates. Having the practical experience and being able to use our own organisation examples really helped to put the learning into context.” For Samantha, having the option for classroom lectures was important in her choice of further education course. “There are a couple of study options for gaining your CIPD qualification but the classroom style lectures suited my learning style best. The support you receive from the Bournemouth University lecturers is fantastic; when they are not on island they are easily contactable so you know there is always help and advice at hand.”
Strategy, Accounting and Finance, HR, Marketing, Operations and more. As well as enhancing his general business skills in areas such as presentations, report writing, analysis and influencing stakeholders at all levels, Gez feels the MBA had really helped him in his role at JT. “My role involves working with key strategic clients to ensure that JT’s services are delivered to their satisfaction and the MBA has given me the opportunity to explore how I work with other people and reflect on ways in which I can improve my personal effectiveness.” “The course has reinforced my belief in being customer centric and has given me a greater awareness of the dynamics within the telecommunications industry.” Out of the range of modules during the two year course, Gez says that the modules including group work and presentations have been his favourite parts of the course so far. “They have been challenging and the most rewarding.”
Marketing communications and web analytics. Each module is marked on a mixture of group projects, individual assignments and two exams. “For each module there are two days of lectures on Friday and Saturday each month at the GTA University Centre. This is definitely one of the benefits to studying locally as you don’t have the stress and expense of travelling to the UK every month and when it comes to group projects because you can meet up in person to work on them.” The course has benefited Hannah’s role at Specsavers in a number of ways, including helping her to understand the full extent of how the internet has changed. “It has helped me understand how customers and brands interact with each other and how companies can use information about their customers buying behaviour, attitudes and preferences to tailor their marketing communications accordingly. I enjoyed learning about companies that have used digital marketing in unique and unexpected ways to reach their customers. It’s also a great feeling finding out you’ve passed a module!”
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