I’ve been with GC for almost 27 years – I’m very conscious that I started here before many of our colleagues were even born! In that time, I’ve taken-on many different roles in a variety of teams, and worked on lots of interesting projects. I love that I’ve moved around and learnt about different aspects of the business. It's been interesting and I've now got a really broad knowledge of the Group, which is very useful in my current role.
I started here in 1997, before it was GC as we know it now, as an apprentice with Manchester Training and Enterprise Council (TEC).
As an apprentice, the initial plan was to move around the business and see where the best fit for each of us was, however, I think I'd been in post about three months when I was offered a permanent position in the area that I was working.
I was offered a role as a Customer Service Executive for the ‘Knowledge Sector’, which was sort of a predecessor to our Education & Skills business. I provided administrative support to a team of training consultants who worked with companies to provide apprenticeship services. I also supported some work around the much anticipated ‘millennium bug’ – for those of you who are old enough to remember that one.
In 2000, I moved into the Media and ICT Team as a Customer Service Executive. This was a new team and new focus for the business. By this time, we were no longer the TEC and the business area I worked for was ‘Skills Solutions’. In the role I created and implemented procedures for the new team, supported with candidate matching and liaised with employers.
By 2001 I was a Customer Services Executive within the ‘Employer Development Unit’. The focus here was on larger companies who delivered their apprenticeship training in-house to larger numbers of learners. Here I managed contracts with employers, co-ordinating all aspects of their training needs, processed management information, and trained new team members. I also began to manage people and was responsible for the line management of some customer service employees.
Between 2000 and 2004, GC continued to grow its offer as other companies joined the Group, including ‘Chamberlink’ and ‘Career Solutions’. Still in Skills Solutions, in 2003 I became the External Funding Manager – this was a bit of a dual role and required me to work alongside our finance team. Here I managed three European Social Fund (ESF) projects, produced monthly claims and worked with the teams to ensure all projects were meeting the required level of delivery. I also managed a learner database, providing training and support other users, and managed the internal audit process for ESF funding.
In 2006, the group was restructured and become known as ‘Manchester Solutions’ with a clear focus on delivery. The next year I became Assistant Company Secretary – the position was initially maternity cover, which then turned into a permanent role. There I managed the new supplier process for the group, the group’s insurance programme, companies house and charity commission filing and general company secretarial work. I was also involved in the ISO9001 accreditation process and completed procedural audits across the group.
During my time here, I also employed a number of apprentices and helped them achieve their NVQ qualifications and move forward in their careers. It was nice to see them progress and that’s something I look back on and feel really proud of. I also became a member of the GC ‘Employee Consultative Committee (ECC) – which I still am today, and am now the lead for Corporate Services.
Fast forward a few years at GC and we’d rebranded as ‘The Growth Company’ by 2017, to reflect our growing reach of our services in the UK.
By this time, the Assistant Company Secretary role progressed to include data protection and supporting the internal audit team. In 2018, the role changed to include the Data Protection Officer role which is now my main focus. I ensure data protection compliance across the Group, manage the groups insurance programme, and provide corporate governance and company secretarial support.
If I’m honest, I've come to where I am today without a direct career path, but that’s OK. I enjoy the challenge of taking on a new role and finding out what’s needed, often something that’s a little bit different that I can then learn more about and grow that area of knowledge.
It's interesting to see how the Group has evolved and grown, it was obviously much smaller at the beginning, but it is good to see that the heart of it remains the same.
Sometimes, I think back and consider if I would have done anything differently in my career. I often say that I should have been a vet, but at 17 I hadn’t realised that yet. I can say though that I’m happy with the here and now and have a great team and a solid support system which works really well in the area that I'm in.
GC is a great place to work. I’m the testament to that because I've been here for such a long time!