Learner Success Stories
Learner Success Stories
Since 2020, the University of Glasgow's Upskilling Project has empowered over 8 thousand learners from Scotland and beyond to upskill and reskill. Through our courses, our learners have gained valuable skills, knowledge, and academic credits that have paved the way for exciting career advancements and further academic pursuits.
But don't just take our word for it – hear from our learners themselves about the impact that our courses have had on their lives. From newfound confidence and expanded professional networks, to higher earning potential and coveted promotion offers, our learners' success stories are truly inspiring. Whether you're considering taking one of our Upskilling courses or simply looking for some motivation, we invite you to explore these stories and see the transformative power of upskilling in action.
Finished a course and want to share your experience? Submit a testimonial here!
"When I began this course, I didn't have a lot of self-confidence, and there were elements of my current role which I felt warranted knowledge and skills that I just didn't have yet. Completing it confirmed a belief that data and coding are not only areas am I interested in, but that I am capable of being good at.
This course has made me enjoy my current role more as it has opened a new avenue for self-development and equipped me with unique skills. I have made new friends and started to grow a different professional network. My ability to problem-solve has improved, my self-confidence has grown, and I no longer look upon mistakes as anything other than part of a learning journey.
The teaching team were exceptionally active and supportive across the ten weeks. I never saw an enquiry go unanswered. Not only was there content for all levels of ability and a vast amount of additional material available, but there were also links to suggested further reading.
I would always encourage people to enrol in a UofG Upskilling course. You will absolutely get far more out of it than you think."
Emma Smillie Applied Data Skills for Processing & Presenting Data
"I completed this course during the energy, excitement and passion of COP26 in Glasgow as the world leaders descended on the city. This whirlpool of emotions, reflections and frustrations transferred onto the course as learners fully engaged in the online forums.
The course materials came alive as both students and staff were able to critically evaluate almost daily changes to climate policy and outcomes generating significant debate. This enthusiasm generated for me further insight and understanding into both global and local climate issues.
November 2021 will be a milestone in my learning as the excellent content and teaching on this course combined with live political developments provided a rich and enjoyable opportunity to truly upskill."
Mark Cairney Systems Thinking: Climate Change & Sustainable Decision Making
"When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, like many, my contract was cut. I was working in academia but had always been interested in service design for the public sector and was lucky to secure a Service Designer role within the NHS.
This course helped me to develop my skills in this new area, making me confident and persuasive with my work after lacking this due to previously working remotely. It enhanced my understanding of management and leadership theories, and improved my adaptability, creativity, innovation, and analytical skills.
The reading material and class engagement clarified to me that, despite the varying perspectives, opinions, visions, and objectives of those working in different roles in the healthcare system, we are all working to do the same thing: to improve the lives of others, in many shapes and forms.
I have loved getting back into studying, especially through a subject that is fresh to me. This course helped me to efficiently organise and manage my workload, including scheduling time to read articles, engage in conversations, and listen to podcasts, which was utterly refreshing. It has enhanced my approach to design, collaboration, management, and leadership, all of which, I think, are the foundations to a working within a complex environment."
Vanessa Lang Introduction to Management & Leadership in Health Services
"I took this course to gain specific Project Management skills and academic credentials, as I frequently work on projects at work unofficially, but knew the only way to progress into a managerial role was to enhance my CV with an official qualification. Having not studied for twenty years, completing this course online was daunting at first, but a great experience.
I have since been successful in my application for a promotion!"
Claire Killin Project Management
"This course, unlike others, concentrates on skills required for the workplace and is heavily focussed on practical issues such as business imperatives, managing people, setting priorities and tight deadlines. Since completing it, I have managed to move from working in a large HR team to working largely independently with increased responsibility. I utilise my new skills in my everyday working life."
Sarah Garden Project Management
“I had always been keen to explore Project Management, and this course was an invaluable introduction. I saved templates, tips, and notes from my tutors, who were very knowledgeable, passionate, and helpful.
After citing this course on my CV and applying for new jobs, I received two interview invitations right away and I quickly accepted a job offer with better pay at an amazing company!"
Past Learner Project Management
"I enjoyed the dialogue with other students and the interaction with course leaders. As a senior professional in the NHS, accessing health intellect to this breadth and standard was a breath of fresh air. I felt invigorated and able to be clinically creative again.
Before the pandemic, I actively led on researching and presenting new ideas at work, but I lost the confidence to do this. This course made me value my own learning and take time to consolidate my knowledge, and I now feel that my confidence has returned.
The standard of teaching and sharing is exceptional, and you feel very engaged. I actually got excited about logging on in the evening to learn! Everyone was hugely supportive and there was no rivalry, just mutual respect and sharing. There was a genuine clinical community who cared which helped me with work challenges."
Gillian Jack Introduction to Management & Leadership in Health Services
"This course has taught me key managerial skills which have been effective in both my personal and professional life.
I found the course content very interesting. It made me think and look at the study material in a different way and consider practical solutions to the management of key personnel. If I was to lead a project team in the future, I would know how to effectively manage this team.
I would highly recommend this course. There is a high level of interaction, and you can learn from other learners. The course is practical and informative and will be very useful for anyone who is trying to learn new skills or move into a managerial position in the future."
Alison Campbell Leading Successful Teams
"Since completing this course, I have practiced and encouraged compassionate leadership and management in all aspects of my professional life, and I now feel confident in undertaking master's level academic study and moving towards my career goals of becoming a specialist nurse. This course has helped me gain insight into what is required of a good manager and has put me in a stronger position to overcome future hurdles by having an open-mind and being adaptable to workplace changes.
From the diversity of subjects to the variety of lecturers and speakers, I remained engaged throughout all ten weeks. I would jump on the opportunity to undertake an Upskilling course at the University of Glasgow again.”
Sarah Huggett Introduction to Management & Leadership in Health Services
"This course challenged my thinking and developed my confidence in both my personal and professional life. It provided me with more belief in myself and my ideas and confirmed the importance of exploring different viewpoints and collaboration.
The additional reading materials suggested by the course leads were hugely beneficial and supported great discussion and debate amongst both students and teachers."
Tracey Leete Introduction to Management & Leadership in Health Services
"This course provided me with a toolkit for change grounded in evidence and practice examples that I could transfer into my everyday practice.
The course materials, visuals, and forums offered a diverse platform to explore scenario planning and cultural mapping.
Each week clarified my learning needs and strengths, giving me a clear sense of purpose and direction. I would recommend this course to those new to change management and those wishing to sharpen their knowledge."
Mark Cairney Change Management
"In my current role, I am implementing a new intermediate model of care in my service, and this course has helped me to understand the intricacies involved with this, as well as how to overcome the challenges of multi-agency working and health policy. It has also given me the opportunity to experience academia again and inspired me to undertake more academic courses to support my career development."
Imran Hafeez Introduction to Management & Leadership in Health Services
"COVID-19 impacted my confidence as a leader, but through learning about invaluable current leadership theories, concepts, practical application, and best practices at such a high level, this course has allowed me to rebuild it. I now feel equipped to continue with postgraduate study and apply for more challenging leadership roles."
Marie Peck Leading Successful Teams
"The flexibility of this course was great. My two jobs are very full on, so I was unsure if I would have the time to complete the coursework, but online, flexible learning is effective for fitting in around other commitments and the minimum work guideline provided by course leads helped me to prioritise tasks."
Kiera Bowden Intercultural Understanding
"This course has helped me to develop more skills in my current role, and knowledge that has opened up promotional opportunities for the future. I would highly recommend it."
Avril Quigg Introduction to Management & Leadership in Health Services
"This course improved my confidence in my ability to self-motivate, adapt and learn new skills. It was a great way of trying my hand at something new and to experiment, but with real tangible benefits going forward. A tremendous opportunity."
Lauren Roberts Systems Thinking: Climate Change & Sustainable Decision Making
"This course provided me with life-changing insight and understanding of the impact COVID-19 had on health services and professionals at a strategic, operational and practice level.
Exhausted NHS staff joined the forums after 12+ hour shifts to reflect on and share their daily experiences, determined to discuss and learn more about how they could inform new and innovative management and leadership approaches. This experiential learning breathed new life into the course materials, and proved valuable in my planning and writing of the course assessment."
Mark Cairney Introduction to Management & Leadership in Health Services
"Undertaking this course has helped improve my confidence in talking to veterans and anybody who has experienced trauma in their lives. The students and course leads were extremely helpful and sociable, creating a welcoming atmosphere. I appreciated how quick fellow students were to help others who needed advice. I guarantee you will learn something new every week on this course.”
Andrew Clark Impact of Trauma on Mental Health
"I had not coded since my Undergraduate degree, so this course threw me in at the deep end, but it paid off. I can now competently use R Studio to analyse data which will definitely benefit my career development."
Lauren Roberts Applied Data Skills for Processing & Presenting Data
"Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, I have seen a rise in anxiety-related illness and disordered eating among patients. This course has helped me to focus on improving treatments for mental distress with a focus on holistic care. I am now more sensitive to why such disorders happen, how we, through our lack of understanding as healthcare professionals, can cause our patients significant distress, and how to avoid this."
Victoria McLauchlan Impact of Trauma on Mental Health
"In working through this course, I have developed a great awareness of how to understand and meet the needs of young carers who have or are experiencing traumas, and how to signpost them to appropriate additional support. I have used my new skillset to broach issues at work in a more supportive way by listening more effectively and opening the door in conversations."
Lisa Falconer Impact of Trauma on Mental Health
"A credible teaching team, with varied and interesting course material. This course was a good opportunity to learn from others' experience. Online and flexible is the only way I could fit a course like this around my shift based clinical commitments!"
Catherine Ward Introduction to Management & Leadership in Health Services
I wholeheartedly enjoyed doing this course. It was very well structured, with weekly recorded video lectures, self-study and forum tasks. The course content was available in full right from the start, allowing me to study asynchronously and adjust my study hours to my work schedule.
The lectures gave a great overview of the subject and had a very good mix of text, facts and graphs. All the information was very up-to-date, which I really appreciated. I loved that the course included a mini-course on writing a policy brief so that I felt well prepared when the time of writing the assessment came.
Doing the course has given me the confidence and skills to found a social enterprise that helps with the transition to NetZero in my local community. I absolutely recommend this course!
Heike Gehringer Sustainable Tourism
Taking this course has been an eye-opening experience for me. As someone deeply rooted in the world of sustainable architecture and building energy efficiency, I've always looked for ways to blend my technical skills with my passion for preserving our planet. This course has done exactly that, bridging the gap between my professional expertise and a broader vision of sustainability.
Through this journey, I've gained invaluable insights into how sustainable tourism can be a powerful tool for conservation and community development, all while aligning perfectly with the principles of sustainable design I hold dear.
This learning journey has reaffirmed my belief in the importance of continuous growth and adaptation. It's not just about the technical skills; it's about understanding the broader context of our work and its impact on the world.
I'm excited to see where this new knowledge takes me, both in my career and in my personal quest to support a more sustainable future.
Azra Maliha Sustainable Tourism
I wanted to take this course as I have long been interested in Project Management, and have often thought that a career either as a Project Manager, or in a similar role, would be for me. From everything that I have learned, this still holds true, and I am going to continue looking to migrate to this type of work.
It was interesting to hear the term 'accidental project manager' used at the beginning of the course, as this is a role I have found myself falling into more than once. Next time, I will be better equipped to identify that this is happening, and able to structure workflow better.
While undertaking this course after a very long break from higher education was a little intimidating, I am really glad that I did it. I have learned a lot of interesting things that I will continue to use - whether project-based or not - and the course materials have made me look at various elements of my work in a new way.
Timothy Perry Project Management