Q&A

Student Q&A: Orsolya Fekete

Business Faculty Student - Leadership and Management

Orshy lives in Kensington, New South Wales and is a former student of the diploma-level qualification in Leadership and Management. She says that there were lots of great things about studying this comprehensive course online with Upskilled.

“The course gave me more insight and theoretical knowledge into the areas of management and leadership,” she explains. “This really helped me understand the challenges that come with such an important position.” “Studying this qualification formally helped me nail down strategies on how to overcome challenges.”

Real skills for career progression

Orshy mentions that some of the skills she’s learned in the course have already come in handy in her everyday life. “While already working in a management position myself, by completing the course I gained more confidence in my daily tasks and it helped me with being a better manager for my team.” Orshy managed to complete her diploma in only seven months, as the course is delivered in a self-paced formatwhere students can study as quickly as they are able to.

“I completed my online course while also working full-time and having a family as well,” the savvy student mentions. “I work in education, which is the sector that I know the most about, but honing my skills in leadership and management was something I was passionate about.” “What I noticed during my career is that managers are often chosen without specific industry knowledge; or, if they are industry experts, they often don't have managerial skills that naturally enhance the effectiveness of their job.”

Becoming a leader

The Leadership and Management diploma course teaches students how to develop emotional intelligence to lead and manage team effectiveness. It is a wide-ranging course that equips students to really develop a workplace learning environment and potentially to undertake project work for many types of organisations. Students who graduate might find job roles as coordinators, team leaders, supervisors or leading hands and are given the skills to effectively manage people and their performance.

Orshy says, “When I started the course I was working as an Assistant Education Manager at a reputable college. I wanted to study management to be more successful and efficient in my job.” She was met with enthusiasm by her direct report. “My manager back then supported and helped me a lot with her feedback and suggestions regarding managerial tasks, so I'm very grateful to her.”

This online student has had her fair share of challenges on the job, and felt that skills in leadership would help her further her career. “Halfway through the course I had to resign from my job as we had changes in senior management and I could experience the impact of a dysfunctional and poor management.” However, success was close at hand for Orshy. “I was immediately headhunted by a small college and now I work as the Head of the Department. In the future I would like to continue my career on management level, preferably within education sector.”

Flexible study, to fit your life

All Upskilled courses are delivered in a flexible way, something that Orshy mentions was helpful to her. “I enjoyed studying online as it gave me the flexibility that I needed while working full time,” she explains. “It was reassuring that I have support available and my trainer was very helpful as well.”

Upskilled courses are delivered with a range of student resources. For example, MyUpskilled includes PowerPoint resources, reading materials, discussion boards and forums, as well as access to the Lynda.com video training library.

“Studying online with Upskilled was a pleasant experience,” Orshy says, “as the course is set up in a very logical way, webinars are great and the access to LinkedIn Learning was a huge bonus. My trainer was Christina Baker who was very supportive and helpful.”

Study online to add to your skills base

Orshy is no stranger to study, having completed a broad plethora of qualifications before. “I have Certificate III and a Diploma of Early childhood education and care, as well as a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in English language and literature) and a Graduate Diploma of Early childhood teaching. I also hold a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and a Master of Education,” she explains.

“I started my career as an early childhood teacher, then upgraded to be an early childhood trainer. I worked as a university supervisor and lecturer for Australian Catholic University for four years. I've been in education management for two years, first as an Assistant Education Manager, and now the Head of the Early Childhood Department.”

“Coming from education background myself, I can appreciate how organised Upskilled was during my studies. The online platform was easy to use, support staff was communicating effectively and they were supportive indeed and my trainer gave lots of constructive feedback as well,” Orshy says. “Studying with Upskilled was a truly pleasant experience. Thank you for it!”

Ready to study Leadership and Management?

Upskilled offers a range of flexible courses in this area, from Graduate Diplomas to Certificate IVs. Head to this page to check out the courses in Leadership and Management on offer.

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