Case Stories

Featured Case Story

From no healthcare experience to NHS role while studying

“I wanted something practical and flexible that I could complete whilst working and look for a new role at the same time.”

See Megan's full story

“What made you choose the course?”

I started looking for a course because I did not enjoy the job I was in and my confidence was low. I didn’t like the idea of going back to university due to the cost, length of the course, travel, and not being able to work as much whilst studying. I also wasn’t sure if it would lead to a job at the end.

I wanted something practical and flexible that I could complete whilst working and look for a new role at the same time.

I was also in the process of moving house and knew that one of the biggest employers in the area would be the NHS. When I looked at NHS job roles, I felt this course covered a lot of what they were looking for and would give me proof that I was capable.

I wanted to do something that would enhance my CV, and this course ticked a lot of boxes for me.

“How have you found the course?”

I have enjoyed the course content and found it useful. It covers a lot of areas that I feel employers look for in both medical and non-medical admin roles.

Some of the content I already had knowledge in, but now I have proof to show this to potential employers. Other areas were completely new to me. I had only basic knowledge of medical terminology, had not done mail merge before, and my Excel skills were limited. This course has really helped me improve in these areas.

I also found the neuroscience units interesting.

All the tutors have been lovely, helpful, and encouraging without being pushy, which suited me perfectly.

“What has it helped you do since starting?”

I had not worked in healthcare before starting the course.

After beginning it, I applied for an NHS role and mentioned that I was completing the course. I was offered a Band 3 Team Secretary position, which I accepted, and this really boosted my confidence.

In that role, I used skills such as calendar management, email handling, and minute taking.

I then moved into a Band 3 Assistant Medical Secretary role so I could further improve my medical terminology and audio transcription skills. My manager has said I would be entirely capable of being a Band 4 Medical Secretary, so when I feel the time is right and I have more confidence, I will look at applying when a suitable role comes up.

Gained the skills to progress confidently as a PA

“The course helped me develop new skills and strengthen existing ones, leaving me confident to progress in my PA career.”

See Sophie's full story

I have recently completed studying for the Level 3 Executive PA Diploma.

The breadth of topics covered were very wide and each module was extremely detailed. Everything I have learnt has been valuable, I feel I have gained so many new skills as well as enhancing the skills I already had. The tutors and assessors were extremely knowledgeable, supportive and helpful throughout. The soft skills added as additional units are also very useful. I feel that I now have all the skills necessary to continue, if not further my career as a PA successfully.

I would definitely recommend their study programme to anyone, as I am extremely impressed with the professionalism and quality of learning offered.

Thank you to all staff at Lewis College.

From GP admin to higher-paid NHS secretarial role

“While studying the course, I secured NHS interviews and moved into a higher-paid remote role with secretarial responsibilities.”

See Jess' full story

I had an entry-level administrator role in a GP surgery with no prior experience and wanted to progress into a secretarial role, however my lack of experience proved a limitation in finding opportunities.

I did some research online and found Lewis College. Seeing the courses were accredited, I reached out to my employer who, after seeing the prospectus, offered to cover the cost to support my professional development. Over the 18-months of study, my circumstances changed and I left this role, seeking a new medical secretarial role elsewhere where I could put what I had learnt so far into practice.

Having the course listed in my CV as currently in progress still led to me being offered an interview for an NHS medical secretary – the course was a talking point in my interview where I discussed what I had learnt so far and the modules I was still working my way through, which they were verbally impressed by.

Although I did not take this role in the end due to personal reasons, I was then offered a similar fully-remote role which better suited my personal circumstances as an NHS medical administrator with secretarial responsibilities for a significantly higher wage as a result of my prior experience and new qualifications.

After a period of uncertainty, not quite knowing what I wanted to do, one of my biggest regrets now is not studying with Lewis College sooner. I’m now finally in a stable role I enjoy and continuously learn in with lots of opportunities for future professional development and I can’t thank Lewis College enough for making this possible.

Returned to office work and secured an EA role

“The course helped me rebuild confidence, update my skills, and successfully secure an EA role after years away from office work.”

See Sue's full story

Undertaking the PA Course with Lewis College helped me return to an office environment after many years of running my own small business. It gave me confidence in my skills and helped me focus on what it was I actually wanted to do.

I included details of the course on my CV and the modules covered helped me successfully interview for an EA role.

The course gave me confidence that I had up to date IT Skills and reminded me how to get the most from Microsoft Office. I quickly got my typing speed back to where it was many years ago.

I felt prepared for my new role, especially when dealing with setting up office procedures, undertaking diary management and project planning.

I am working with people across the organisation and felt able to deal with the challenge of bringing different departments together.

I am already working on a large project that will help me gain invaluable experience going forward.

From hospitality to admin role while studying

“While completing the course, I secured an Administrative Assistant role and started progressing towards my goal of becoming a PA.”

See Linda's full story

I worked for 3 years in the hospitality sector as receptionist and during this year, I understood that I would really love to have a career as personal assistant.

I found Lewis College online and I decided to start my Executive Assistant Diploma.

When I completed half of my course, I decided to look for a job in administration so I started to apply. After a few interview I got a job as an Administrative Assistant for an important startup in London!

This course definitely helped me to get the job as it taught me the basics and duties for this role. The company keeps growing and hopefully my next step will be the Personal Assistant position.

Built a successful medical secretary business

“After completing the course at 20, I went on to build a successful medical secretary business and now run multiple ventures.”

See Danielle's full story

Please send Penny my regards and let her know that she really set me up on a path to success and how grateful I am to her for that. Please let her know, I have been running a successful medical secretary business (DanEco Medical Secretarial Services Ltd) for the past 10 years out of one of the leading private hospitals in London (London Bridge and The Shard) with 3 members of staff. And now MediStaff Connect to run alongside!

I think I did the full course! Crazy how time flies, I was only 20 and remember doing the course so vividly wondering where it would lead me.

From hospitality to corporate Team Administrator

“After 10 years in hospitality, the course gave me the skills and confidence to move into a corporate Team Administrator role.”

See Nathasna's full story

My background is absolutely not in Administration: I have spent 10 years developing my career in Hospitality before finally deciding that I wanted a change; I always had the ambition to be a PA, but never really knew how to make it happen.

After looking at several options, I decided to go with Lewis College for several reasons: the flexibility of payments, the online tutoring, but most of all the program that they offer reflects the work that I actually would have to undertake within my job as an Administrative Professional.

Of course, I did have to start over as an Administrator. But the skills I gained with the College gave me a lot of confidence and the knowledge necessary to advance in my goals. I have learned so much about the Office Suite, which is vital to be successful in this field, and I believe that this ultimately made the difference when I applied for a role as an Team Administrator. I was able to say that I am a confident and advanced IT user, but also felt ready for planning and organising Business Travel or even printing labels and handling conflicts in an office environment. The course also teaches about time management, prioritising and negotiation skills, attributes that I believe are vital in any professional environment nowadays.

The course allowed me to develop a much deeper understanding of the knowledge and skills needed to be successful, and helped me advance personally as well as professionally.

I worked almost everyday for a year in order to feel that I was in a position where I could go from Administrator to Team Administrator in a Corporate environment. It was challenging but very rewarding and I always felt like I was moving forward.

I would like to acknowledge all the staff at Lewis College for being so helpful and professional. I would have never had the tools necessary to get a position such as I have now without their help. Simon Scaysbrook, my tutor, even gave me advice to help me through the interview process which contained a PowerPoint exercise. I would not be where I am now without them.

From a part-time role to an admin job

“With limited admin experience, the course helped me gain confidence, secure interviews, and successfully land a new role.”

See Lucy's full story

After many years in the Early Years sector and after having my two children I continued to work part time in the pre-school that I had been working at for a long time but changed my role to an office based one. I really enjoyed my new administrative role and I wanted to make a career of it.

However, I had very limited administrative skills, knowledge and experience so I realised that if I was to progress in this field I would have to do some training.

I thought for a very long time before committing to the administrative diploma with Lewis college. I researched lots of different courses and institutions before settling with Lewis College. I found Penny and Lewis College to be very approachable and helpful without being pushy.

I have been studying for 1 year now. The course content is interesting and fun to do. The course immediately helped me to improve my work in my current role and towards the end of the course I found I was confident enough to start applying for new jobs.

I was able to put on application forms the different modules that I had studied. Out of three applications I was offered two interviews. I went along to one interview to get some practise and was offered the job! Part of the interview process involved doing a short assessment using word and excel.

Without doing the course I would not have been able to pass the assessment and would not have had the confidence to even apply for administrative roles.

The course content is clear and easy to work through. The modules are thorough and I now know the different Microsoft programs fully as well as the soft skills needed for working in office environments. The feedback I receive from the tutors is detailed and well thought out and is always delivered in a positive and encouraging way.

The course is all online and is delivered via email which suits me as I can fit it in around my part-time job and children. I think I would have struggled to find the time to go in to a college to study so the chance to study entirely online was brilliant.

The reason I hesitated for so long in starting the course was because of the financial and time commitment needed. However, I can now see that it was well worth it. I would never have had the confidence to apply for the types of jobs that I wanted to do without doing my course.

From heavy industry to NHS IT Training Manager

“After losing my role in heavy industry, I retrained in digital skills and went on to build a career as an NHS IT Training Manager.”

See Richard's full story

As an IT Training Manager working for an NHS Trust, I recently developed an automated Digital Assessment for the purpose of supporting colleagues to develop their Digital Skills.

When constructing this and having completed my research, it surprised me to find that well over 20 million people don’t have the Digital Skills needed for day-to-day work and life skills. This immediately got me thinking about my own digital journey that started around 20 years ago with Lewis College.

Up until my early 30s I worked in heavy industry and (controversial statement coming!) I had zero interest in any form of technology. Then the company I worked for liquidised and the very niche set of industrial skills I had, were of no use. I needed a CV, I needed to fill out online forms, I needed to email, and it dawned on me really quickly that I needed to upskill and having even a slight ability to work with computers was as important as driving or owning your own tools. I signed up for an online course which enabled me to piece together a CV and get applying for jobs.

A few weeks later, having taken a job that I didn’t like just to pay the bills, I couldn’t get the nagging feeling out of my head, that if my CV was better presented then at least I might have got some more interviews.

So, I did some research and jumped head first into the first learning I had done since College. It was a L3 CLAIT Advanced course which meant I’d be learning Office 2006! Word documents, spreadsheets, IT solutions, databases, presentations, would become my evening and weekend buddies (sometimes enemies) for the next 9 months. It was all brand new to me and although I felt that I had bitten off more than I could chew at times, when I passed all of my assessments the feeling of achievement was amazing (shout out to Lewis College and to Penny in particular). It spurred me on to apply for better jobs and gave me the confidence to complete further training.

Progressed from PA to Executive PA with confidence

“The course helped me refresh my skills, build confidence, and secure an Executive PA role as the next step in my career.”

See Andrea's full story

I had been working as a personal assistant in London for 6 years when I decided I want to progress and to have an administration certificate as a PA. I found many online courses available, mainly 1-2 day courses, but I was looking for a longer and a more interactive online course. This is why I choose the Executive PA course of Lewis College.

It covers a lot of different subjects, very practical by giving the students assignments and assessments to complete and also there are tutors to accompany all the way. I can ask them anything at any time and they reply within 24 hours. They do not just mark my work at the end of the lessons but they always give me detailed feedback, as well. This keeps me active and motivated.

Even though I had already had strong computer skills before I started the course, it has been helping me to refresh my knowledge on the different software besides acquiring the certain secretarial skills which I missed to have before. It had made me much more confident by the time – half year later – I was looking for a new role as next step in my career and I was able to get great results on the tests of the recruitment agencies, which lead to job interviews.

Despite having a new job as Executive PA, I still want to finish my course because I found it very useful.

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