CIPD Student Stories: Su Starkey | CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma

Keep reading for Su's online studying tips, as someone who fully embraced online learning and became more intentional and strategically driven throughout the process.

After graduating from the London School of Economics in 1990, I embarked on a career in the third sector, working across social housing, education, the criminal justice system, health charities—and even taking a detour into the world of wildlife conservation. Over the years, I developed a strong interest in how people and organisations grow and change.

In 2022, I enrolled on the CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in Organisational Learning and Development with ICS Learn. While I’d maintained my study skills informally over the years, the idea of committing to a formal qualification, especially alongside a full-time job, was quite daunting.

At the time, I had just taken on responsibility for the learning function within my organisation. This was a new challenge, shifting away from a very traditional model of workforce development relying largely on face-to-face training, towards more flexible learning solutions.

I hoped the course would help me make clearer connections between learning and performance outcomes, choose the right interventions for the right challenges, and build strong business cases for adopting new delivery methods.

In truth, it gave me far more than I anticipated.

I gained a deeper understanding of the theories behind effective learning transfer, learned how to use data and metrics to measure impact, and explored how to navigate organisational power dynamics to gain support for new initiatives. I also discovered the potential of emerging technologies in learning and development.

In short, I became a much more intentional, strategic education lead as a result of all I learned on the course.

I found it to be logically structured and presented on a user-friendly platform. Supportive tutors were only a call or email away, and the course provided access to a wealth of research and resources.

Although I found some modules more challenging or time-intensive than others, they were all thought-provoking and directly relevant to my work role. In fact, I enjoyed the module on coaching so much that I went on to study for a coaching qualification and am now engaged in developing a coaching culture in my organisation. Meanwhile, I was able to make the case (successfully!) for a new L&D team, and the organisational learning culture is developing at pace.

I would absolutely recommend taking this course with ICS Learn.

A couple of tips: Take time at the start to plan out your study schedule - it helps a lot, especially around assignment time - and don’t forget to build in some rest time too, especially if you are working alongside your studies.

If I could describe my experience with ICS in three words they would be: intense, challenging and transformative.

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