Certificate in Economic Development: Claire Hill, Economic Growth Officer, West Lindsey District Council

Why did you sign up for the Certificate, what were your original learning objectives?

“I joined the economic development team as Economic Growth Officer towards the middle of 2022. This role supports the wider team with the preparation and delivery of the Council’s plans and strategies for growth and economic development. Whilst not new to working within local government, economic development was a new discipline to me and the content of the Certificate fits well with providing a broad overview of the different elements of this work area, supplementing my on-the-job learning with formal content from a recognised body.”

What have been key benefits/impacts on both you and your organisation, or what do you expect them to be in the longer term?

“The programme structure has given me an ability to self-serve in terms of learning and provided greater insight into the work of others within my team. I have been able to use examples of best practice from the course with the team to challenge our outputs and thinking. This will allows me to better support the wider team as all modules are directly relevant, give access to best practice examples, and provide an increased understanding of the policy/funding landscape that we work within.”

What gap does the Certificate fill from a CPD perspective?

“Beyond what we have covered above, it has been really helpful to gain the theory behind the doing, in small bite-sized pieces. Through the sharing of materials I have also now built up a useful reference library to revisit my learning and seek out contacts in the future.”