Anita Foxall was looking for a way to progress her credit control career, and she found it. We find out how the CICM apprenticeship helped her prospects and professional knowledge.

How did you come to hear about Kaplan?

I heard about Kaplan at work, as a few of my colleagues were already doing apprenticeships.

How has your experience been?

Kaplan has effectively guided me through my Credit Controller Level 3 apprenticeship with CICM (Chartered Institute of Chartered Management).

I found it really beneficial to have the admin and learning sections divided, as it enabled me to focus on my studying more efficiently.

There were many details provided that I had to wade through and that was quite daunting at first. Sometimes I felt confused as to what to do. However, the regular catch ups and monitoring helped me overcome that.

Kaplan also provided different workshops, and encouraged all learners to take part. I attended courses such as: Time Management, Presentation Skills and Business Writing. All of these sessions were excellently delivered and provided me with further development opportunities, thus enabling me to think of my daily work and how to improve myself as a worker.

What impact has the Senior Credit Controller L3 Apprenticeship made to your career so far?

I had been wanting to do the Credit Controllers qualification for a long time, so when I started working at Ageas and this opportunity was finally offered to me, I didn’t think twice.

This course gave me a broader vision of the Credit Management and Finance world, which has now led me to seek how I can progress further within the company.

I would like to apply the knowledge I gained in the course and experience how specific tasks are performed in my company, with a view to progress to a different area within the finance department.

As the course exposed me to different areas, which broadened my horizons and sparked new interests, I will be exploring the work that is being done by the Credit Risk and Finance Reporting teams.

Where do you see yourself once you have finished your Apprenticeship?

A series of regular meetings have been arranged with my senior managers, with a view to lead me into job shadowing sessions, or even possible secondments.

I would like to experience, first hand, the knowledge and skills I acquired in the course by observing others do them in my company, and then getting engaged in them myself.

Throughout this year I aim to establish which areas are of most interest to me and where I would like to progress. Ultimately, I would like to continue working in the finance department, possibly with a job role more oriented to analysis. I would also like to continue learning and take on new challenges at work.

Would you recommend this Apprenticeship to others?

I would always recommend learning to everybody, as it makes our minds richer, and richer minds make better professionals and better people.

This particular apprenticeship benefited me personally, as I’ve been working in the credit control area for a few years now, both for small and larger companies.

I really felt that I needed to build up a more solid foundation and broaden my knowledge and skills, and this helped with that. The different modules offered a complete overview of the credit management and business environment world, and undoubtedly filled gaps in my professional knowledge.

Therefore, even for those who have experience in the area, it will most definitely make them a more rounded Credit Control professional, with a more open mind and a new analytical perception of the job role’s tasks.