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After two years of contemplating whether to do or not to do the CIPD Certificate in Learning & development Practice, I finally decided to take the plunge this year. There were lots of companies that offered this qualification but after doing my research and reading many comments on the DPG website, I finally decided to do the qualification with DPG. Reflecting back now as I look to begin a new career, this one decision is quite possibly THE SINGLE MOST important decision in my life!

It sounds dramatic I know but I’m just about to start a new L&D role and I’m writing a blog. If you had told me 12 months ago I’d be doing either I’d have laughed at you.  This blog isn’t something DPG have asked me to do either this is an honest story of my learning journey so far that I want to share. A learning journey that has been challenging but rewarding and during this time all the staff at DPG have been extremely helpful. Starting with Corbin Abrahim, the young man who sent me all the relevant information to help me decide what was the best course for me, to Kevin Faulkner, my facilitator, who couldn’t be more helpful. The knowledge, skills and experience Kevin has, are second to none, my advice for anyone wanted to become an L&D practitioner is to have Kevin as your role model!

However, the one person who I have to say has been outstanding, every single day, whether it is 9am or midnight, has to be Mr 007 himself  Mike Collins; who has provided me with not only course knowledge, where to find information to complete my assignments, but also helped with personal advice and encouragement from our first initial online chat. Mike is the DPG Community manager as many of you know and has been a huge help to me over the past few months.

I have been searching for a new job in the Learning & Development field for over two years now, without success. It was the driving reason behind me wanting to be CIPD qualified. Today after only four months, I have my own success story and something to be proud of. I couldn’t have done it without Corbin’s great sales skills, Kevin’s fountain of knowledge, which he has passed onto me, and Mike’s outstanding continuous support, from pointing me in the right direction to helping me with presentations for interviews. I understand now why DPG are so highly thought of as they have offered me something far beyond getting a qualification; they have offered a community of fellow learners and genuinely care about them.

Mike has gone above and beyond his normal line of duty to support me in my personal goal. Mike opened my eyes to the world of building my own personal brand, how to use and leverage different technologies that can help Learning & Development Practitioners, and putting these in real life scenarios; likewise with Kevin who has been extremely supportive and very approachable regardless of time of day (or night). Learning how to use these skills and apply them in the real working world has helped me demonstrate this in interviews. Mike has also helped me put together presentations for interviews, which the interviewers have been blown away by. You can’t put a price on support like this and I am very grateful.

I would recommend DPG to every single employer for the rest of my life, that statement coming from somebody with a customer services background (and who is extremely hard to please) is a statement in itself! Seriously though this is a genuine thank-you to all the staff at DPG for helping me get my first L&D position that I have wanted for so long.

I would like to take this moment to tell DPG how privileged I am in being part of the DPG community and long may it continue!

Thank-you for your continued support and I hope my story gives confidence to others who are looking to secure their first job in HR or L&D.

Dipesh