Introduction

 

We are thrilled to announce that Shaun Bate, a fast-track IT team colleague, has achieved a First Class Bachelor of Science with Honours in Digital and Technology Solutions Professional, specialising as a Business Analyst. This success, supported by our business, highlights Shaun’s dedication and commitment throughout his studies. His success demonstrates the support and resources we provide to nurture and develop our employees’ skills and careers.

In this interview, we speak with Shaun about his journey and achievements, and we hear from our CEO, Andy Barber, on the importance of investing in our team’s development.

Interview with Shaun Bate

  1. What inspired you to pursue a degree in Digital and Technology Solutions Professional, with a specialism in Business Analysis?
    As I have developed within the roles I have held at imail, my responsibilities have revolved more closely around our technology, so the opportunity to gain a qualification in this area fit well within my role and future goals. The prospect of analysing business needs and designing tech solutions to meet those needs motivated me to deepen my knowledge and formalise my expertise through the specialisation in business analysis.
  2. How did you manage to balance your work responsibilities with your studies?
    Balancing work responsibilities with my studies required careful planning and time management. I created a structured schedule that allocated specific time slots for work and study activities. Prioritising tasks and setting clear, achievable goals for each week helped me stay on track. Open communication with my employer also played a significant role; they were supportive and flexible, allowing me to block out time when necessary to accommodate my study commitments.
  3. Can you share some of the key skills and knowledge you gained from your degree that you have applied in your role here?
    I have gained skills across a range of technical disciplines due to the breadth of study on my course. This has enabled me to be involved in work across cyber security, networking and Data analysis, but the Business analysis skills have had the largest impact on my role, as eliciting technical requirements, communicating them, and managing the resulting projects have become a significant part of my daily tasks.
  4. What were some of the challenges you faced during your course, and how did you overcome them?
    The main challenge I faced during the course was managing the intense workload, especially during exam periods and project deadlines. To overcome this, I used various time management strategies, assisted by my manager. The area of Networking was also one I had little experience in, which I was able to offset by using a combination of the resources made available and my colleagues experiences. Gaining knowledge across teams like this also gave me a chance to work more closely with the development team, one of the great hidden benefits of completing the course.
  5. How has the support from the company influenced your educational journey and career development?
    The support from my company has been instrumental in my educational journey and career development. Their willingness to offer flexible working hours allowed me to dedicate the necessary time to my studies without compromising my professional responsibilities. Working at imail gave me the access to join the course, and mentorship from senior colleagues was massively helpful in my success.

Interview with Andy Barber

  1. Why does the company place such a strong emphasis on supporting employees’ further education and professional development?
    School wasn’t my thing so left at the first opportunity (don’t tell my girls this!), and at 16 got straight to work within a small Business Post (Imail Comms legacy owner) Franchise, learning all aspects of how to make a small business work. Alongside this I completed an MBA study finding that the holistic nature of the study covered all aspects of business, which functional in-house training course’s rarely do. This allowed me to add value beyond my role and stand me out from the crowd, which eventually led to the businesses CEO, Guy Buswell (now Imail’s Exec Chair) plucking me out of that role to run a fledging Hybrid Mail business – imail! So in doing the study alongside my work, my career advanced, and the business benefited – a real win-win! Since then, I’ve championed my team’s approach to life-long learning pledging the businesses support to their professional development through degree-level courses utilising the Governments Apprentice Scheme. Shaun’s is our third fast-track management graduate with more to follow…!
  1. How do you think Shaun’s new qualifications will benefit the business and its future projects?
    Shaun was utilising his new skills within the business as he was studying – one particular work-based coursework required Shaun to build the requirements for a new billing system. We are now using that work as the basis of our new billing solution in the FinTech space – it doesn’t get bigger than that!
  1. What advice would you give to other employees considering further education or professional development opportunities?
    Without a doubt, our professional development program has fast-tracked our management graduates’ careers so if current or future employees demonstrate the drive and tenacity to lead their own professional development journey, the business will provide time to study and opportunities to utilise your enhanced functional and management skillsets in real-time, so you can make an immediate difference. It’s not easy, but if you’re up for it – then go for it! We’ll back you!

In Summary

Shaun Bate’s achievement is a shining example of what can be accomplished with hard work, dedication, and the right support. We are proud to have played a part in his journey and look forward to seeing how his enhanced skills will contribute to our continued success. As a company, we remain committed to investing in our employees’ growth, ensuring our team members have the opportunities and resources they need to reach their full potential.

Congratulations, Shaun, on your outstanding achievement!