Just a month after submitting her dissertation, Louise Rea, who graduated in MSc Business and Management: Operations and Global Supply Chain Management in 2017 at Plymouth, took up the position as Projects Coordinator for The Dartington Hall Trust in South Devon.
Louise is now putting her business skills to good use for Research in Practice, who help organisations and individuals to access, understand and apply evidence in their work with children, young people and families.
“I chose to study the course at Plymouth because I was struggling to get a sufficiently well-paid job since I moved to Devon from the East Midlands the previous year. Only six weeks after completing the course, I was employed in the local area, so it was ultimately worthwhile.
“As soon as I submitted my dissertation in September 2017, I found myself applying for jobs and attending interviews, until I was in a position where I could choose between job offers to suit me. In mid-October, I took up a role as Projects Coordinator for Research in Practice, part of The Dartington Hall Trust, based just outside Totnes, Devon.
"This position gave me the chance to continue my career following my study, as well as using the new skills I had developed, but most importantly allowed me to retain a work-life balance as it is a 30-hour contract with a 25 minute commute. This was really important to me as a single parent of a lively three-year-old.
"Studying at Plymouth enabled me to achieve my goals and work towards building a successful career.”
"Research in Practice is a small organisation that punches well above its weight in a sector where it is highly regarded for its long standing expertise in turning academic research into practical tools for front line practitioners. My role, as part of the business support team, is to manage the project portfolio. It is basically a project management role, but because of the nature of small organisations, I also get to use my process management expertise that I developed when I was working for a large bank – pre-University – to help streamline and improve efficiency across the organisation's processes.
“Third sector organisations are still run in a similar way to private sector businesses, so they still need experienced and qualified business-minded people, but because a lot of people here have come from a different background and bring a range of different skills and experiences, there is potentially more opportunity for development than in other sectors
“For me, it is an opportunity to use my skills and experience to do something worthwhile since the charity offers a massive support to some of the country's most vulnerable people, rather than where I was working in a bank that was essentially making the rich richer at the expense of the poor. It is great for me to feel that I am doing something positive with my life and benefiting society.
“I have been in my current post for two months and I have already been able to see the impact of the change that I have been able to bring in as a result of my appointment. This is really rewarding, and I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge of the sector and of the organisation so that I can bring more benefits to the organisation built on my work experiences and learning from University.”
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