Learning and Development Student Stories:
CIPD Student Stories: Sarah Penkett | CIPD Level 7 Review

Sarah wanted to enhance her career as a people professional, so she decided to take on an online CIPD Level 7 L&D qualification with us to expand her knowledge and pursue her passion for training. Find out more below. 

ICS Learn has supported me in successfully completing a CIPD Level 5 HR qualification and a CIPD Level 7 L&D qualification.

Learning and Development and the creation of training programs has always been my passion, however, I first chose to study a CIPD Level 5 qualification to further my HR generalist knowledge and earn CIPD accreditation.

When I started the course I worked across Scotland in a field-based HR Generalist role, therefore I wasn’t able to commit to attending classroom-based learning at the same time each week.

Studying with ICS Learn allowed me to study remotely without impacting my work schedule.

The website is very easy to navigate, connecting with tutors is simple and having my assignments marked almost overnight boosted my confidence throughout the course.

Shortly into my course I was made redundant from my HR Generalist role in Scotland and secured an exciting new field based role in Learning and Development across the UK.

ICS Learn supported me in extending my course end date which meant I could prioritise excelling in my new role at work and return to my studies when the time was right.

Although there was a small fee associated with this it was defiantly worth it as balancing studies and a new full-time job is definitely challenging.  Once I began studying again I completed the course very quickly choosing to study each weekend, approximately 12 hours per week.  

Several months after completing my CIPD Level 5 course the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and I was placed on furlough from my role as a Learning and Development Manager in the Hospitality industry.

Those who know me know I’m not someone who can sit still for long, so after some volunteering for the NHS I decided to start a CIPD Level 7 qualification.

Studying again with ICS Learn allowed me to keep my brain active and work towards something positive for my self-development whilst our industry faced a very challenging time.

I would highly recommend studying with ICS Learn and working towards a CIPD qualification.

At first, getting back into the routine of studying and writing assignments is a little overwhelming, but once the first one is complete I promise your confidence will grow and you’ll fly through the course and come out of it a valuable asset for any organisation!

Inspired by Sarah's story? Learn more about studying a 100% online CIPD qualification with us.