Jill assembles degree programme

Jill Cordes, who works as a Visual Merchandiser for IKEA at their Gateshead store, negotiated her course with tutors from Northumbria University as part of the Learning through Work programme.

"My job is in the Communication and Interior Design department where I design and build the displays and room sets in the store,” explained Jill. "I've always enjoyed my role in the retail side of the business but I started to think about the other roles within IKEA and what skills I would need to take on a new challenge."

"I sort of knew in which direction I wanted to go but I wasn’t too sure what courses and options were available to me.  I also have an 11 year old daughter so I knew I wouldn't be able to travel too far or spend a lot of time studying."

"At about this time I went  to Cardiff to visit the site of a new store we were building and that made me realise that I wanted to get involved in the project management side of the organisation.

"I found out about the free learndirect advice line and contacted them to see if they could help.  They suggested that I get in touch with Northumbria University and look into their project management courses.

"Once I’d seen some information it seemed to be more of a construction-based course than I had been looking for, as my heart has always been, and always will be, in retail.”

But Jill, 36, from South East Northumberland, didn’t give up and she called the advice line to see what other options were available to her.

"I spoke to a Lifelong Learning Advisor,” said Jill, “who started to tell me about something called Learning through Work.  I’d never heard of it before but it sounded exactly like the kind of thing I was looking for. I definitely wanted to find out more about it."

 "When I started to find out more about it I couldn’t believe it existed to be honest – it was exactly what I was looking for.

“When I was applying I had to think about past learning, what I do at work, how I learn, and whether this programme was suitable for me. Then I got in touch with the people who run the programme at Northumbria University and we had a chat about what and how I wanted to study.

"I wanted to include a project management module, I’ve recently finished a management NVQ and I knew I needed to take that further.  I also needed more knowledge about town planning and government policy on retail development. The third module is a work-based project which will implement a training and development route for people to follow in my department at IKEA.

"This project will directly benefit IKEA and will be put into use immediately.  Designing the programme has been a great process.  I’ve spoken to many new people at IKEA, particularly from our support service office, and those discussions helped me to make sure I got the course content right.

"I asked them what skills and knowledge they thought I would need to get involved in the building of new stores in the future, to be sure I did the right modules.  Everyone has been so helpful and supportive."

She added: "Getting a qualification is important to me.  When I started in retail display I didn’t need a degree to do what I wanted to do, but now I know I want to go further and the qualification will show I have the ability and experience to do that. Learning through Work is a fantastic idea.  It’s tailored exactly for people like me, it's absolutely ideal"