Where are they now - former CETC Midlands students

Catherine Park

Catherine was a student in the very first cohort to study at CETC Midlands. At the time she was working for Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Catherine explains: "My employer wanted to ensure that I studied with a high quality establishment, rather than the one they had previously been sending trainees too, so they had planned to send me to CETC South East in London on a block release basis. Discovering that CETC planned to run courses in the Midlands was great as it meant that time and money on travelling to London could be saved."

Looking back at her time studying at CETC Midlands Catherine says: "I found it a very friendly and relaxed environment in which to study. The tutors were very supportive and always willing to give extra advice and help. We were the first group of students at CETC Midlands and we became quite a close group, in fact I'm still in touch with a number of my fellow students now."

After finishing her studies Catherine joined CETC as a lecturer in August 1999 at CETC South East. Currently she is Head of Finance for Hounslow Homes which is an ALMO (Arms Length Management Organisation); they are a wholly owned subsidiary of London Borough of Hounslow and manage all their council housing for them.

Hardev Virdee

Hardev was on the National Financial Management Training Scheme (NFMTS) in September 1996 when he began studying at CETC, he explains: "The NFMTS is a very tough scheme as trainees undertake intensive studying coupled with trying to work within various Finance departments. During my studying I was based at Walsall Manor Hospital (1996-1997) and Wolverhampton Healthcare NHS Trust (1997-2000). My roles varied from working in payroll to completing a business case on the Continence service."

It was the support from tutors that really made an impression on Hardev at CETC, he explains: "Compared to other training colleges CETC felt a lot more personal and I was able to lean on CETC during the difficult times. They also provided mock vivas and revision courses which were crucial for me to get through." He goes on to add: "The tutors at CETC were very well equipped at getting students through exams and the pass rates at CETC reflect the level of support provided and the high quality learning available. Thanks to the level of support, particularly during my final year, I managed to successfully pass all my exams on my first sitting and graduated in January 2000."

Hardev has kept busy since qualifying with a fast progressing career which has seen him in roles including Head of Management Accounts at Wolverhampton Healthcare NHS Trust, Head of Provider Finance in a PCT, and his current post as Head of Commissioning within Eastern Birmingham PCT. He was able to maintain links with CETC whilst overseeing CIPFA students and even had a spell as chair of CETC Midlands Employers' meetings.

Alison Breadon

A Law graduate, Alison joined the public services department in Price Waterhouse (as it was then) in Birmingham in June 1996. Part of the training programme was to study for CIPFA which Alison did at CETC Midlands.

For Alison there were many benefits in studying at CETC as she explains: "For me, the top three points about studying at CETC Midlands were:

1. The chance to get to know individuals from different working environments across the public sector. 'Class of 1996' included individuals from the big firms, and individuals working for NHS or local government employers. This gave me a better insight into what life was like working within the public sector, and some of the issues faced by prospective accountants working directly within the public sector. I was also able to make a number of good aquaintainces. I am still in contact with a number of individuals from Class of 1996 now.

2. the course was very flexible. We were encouraged to feedback regularly on course content, logistics, tutor performance etc. Following the completion of my studies, I also had the opportunity to act as an employer representative on the employer committee at CETC. Active input into training provision by employers was also welcomed.

3. The course complemented my work responsibilities. As I progressed through my training contract I found the course content to be more and more relevant to my day job. I also benefited from some of the more theoretical elements of the course in developing my management style. My final year was a real test of time management when I was required to complete a real life project. The experience, although painful at the time, was very valuable in developing my consultancy, report writing and project management skills."

She also has praise for the tutors: "The tutors were very supportive, especially when it came to exam preparation, helping to question spot and develop exam technique. Over the three years studying at CETC I got to know the tutors quite well, and in turn, they knew my learning style. This was a real benefit and a result of working in small groups and excellent continuity of tutors over the three year period. The tutors were also keen to bring sessions to life by throwing in examples (often humourous) from their own experiences. This helped to focus my mind and keep me awake at times, (particularly when studying capital accounting)!"

Alison qualified in January 2000 winning 4th prize for P3 studies. On her life since passing she says: "Over the past 10 years with PwC I have gained a vast amount of experience working across all areas within the Public Sector. I am now a Senior Audit Manager with primary responsibility for the audit appointments of several major NHS trusts and local government organisations within the Midlands at which I advise on value for money initiatives, financial performance, cost rationalisation programmes, internal controls, corporate governance and risk management projects. I oversee teams of 5 to 10 on job assignments as well as monitoring day to day budget and reporting deadline achievements. In addition to managing my client portfolio, I have responsibilities for internal training within the Midlands Government and Public Services team."