Livia Chan On Being the Best HR Professional That She Can Be

What kind of business do you work for and what do you do?

I’m the HR Manager at a much-loved family entertainment brand. It’s wonderful to work in such a creative and innovative environment and I really love having the ability to see the results of the work that I do there.

Why did you choose to study with Acacia Learning?

Because of the flexibility it offers in terms of the classes (different class times and locations) as well as the quality of teaching that it provides.

I chose to study part-time in the evenings. I had classes once a week after work and used the weekends to study. This routine suited me very well.

The tutors always have time for you and always have your best interests at heart. The support team are excellent, and it’s great to know that you can always reach out to them for help whenever you need it.

Why did you choose to study the CIPD qualification?

To learn more about the HR profession, learn the theory behind the work that I do and use this to develop myself as a HR professional. Also to meet like-minded people and share best practice tips with my peers.

Gaining my CIPD qualifications has given me further confidence to carry out my role through learning new skills and techniques. In turn, it has provided me with new job opportunities, which is an added bonus.

What did you enjoy most about the course and studying?

Having the opportunity to further develop myself into the best HR professional that I can be, so that in turn I could provide top quality support to my company and team. I liked the structure of the course and the pace of the classes, and the Acacia team are really supportive too.

My favourite CIPD modules included any that involved a practical assessment! I had to conduct a training session during my CIPD level 3 HR in Practice course and it was great to put the theory into practice and really see for myself what worked well versus what needed to be improved upon.

What was the biggest challenge whilst studying?

Just the normal challenges of trying to fit in studying around work and personal life. Planning workload around study time.

How have you applied your learning at work?

It’s helped me to appropriately plan and think logically about tasks or projects that I’m about to embark on. I use research, journals and reports to help make informed decisions.

Overall gaining my CIPD has absolutely helped me develop myself as a HR professional. It’s given me the opportunity to learn the theory behind what I already do. I highly recommend it and know that I have gained a lot from it, personally, and for my career.

Do you have any plans for future study?

I’d like to study for the CIPD level 7 in the future.

Would you recommend Acacia Learning?

Yes, I’m definitely glad that I found Acacia Learning and stayed with them for my level 5 studies. The flexibility is great as is the quality of the teaching and support.

Acacia Student of the Year Winner

Livia was voted winner of our annual student awards in November 2018. Here are a few of the standout nominations we received from her boss and colleagues at work.

Diligent, hard working, personable and extremely capable. Also juggling full time work, moving house and changing job – amazing!

Livvy has been a fantastic addition to the team. She is very enthusiastic and thoroughly engaged with both her work and the company. She goes out of her way to ensure she interacts in a positive way with everyone in the company and has been instrumental in bringing in much needed improvements within HR to our fast growing business.

Livia has progressed significantly through the world of HR due to her commitment and dedication to really learn and understand the discipline, as well the application in the work environment.