Free online courses offered to Forth Valley College employees are proving popular with staff – none more so than Information Assistant Amy Marshall.
Amy Marshall, who is based in the Front of House team at the Falkirk Campus, part of the Estates Department, signed up to do CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Awareness of Mental Health Problems qualification and enjoyed it so much, that she has progressed on to do the CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Children and Young People’s Mental Health.
She has now inspired several of her close colleagues to sign up for similar courses on offer through the initiative.
Amy, said: “I decided to enrol on the course mainly as a way to keep myself occupied during lockdown, even though I was lucky enough to still be working throughout that period. As Mental Health is such a big talking point at the moment, and due to what we are all going through at the moment, I felt that it was a really relevant course to study.
“I really enjoyed the course! I felt that the materials that I was provided with and support I was given from my assessor were both really good. With 13 units to study and 10 days between each assessment, there were days when I felt it was quite intense, but I really enjoyed the challenge. I’m really glad I decided to use my time during lockdown to get another qualification under my belt.
“The best bit about the course was the level of knowledge I feel I now have after completing it. I thought I had good level of understanding in relation to Mental Health, but this was only through personal experience and from friends and family. However the course really opened my eyes and gave me a better understanding.
“I would recommend this course in a heartbeat and already have, as two of my team members have signed up and got started with the course after me telling them about it. The fact that this course is free to study, is unbelievable as it’s so informative! I would say that if anyone has the time to take this course, they should go for it. I feel more confident with my increased knowledge of Mental Health and how I can better support people both in and out of work, as well as our students.
“Completing this course has definitely made me want to continue with my studies in relation to Mental Health, which is why I’ve signed up to do the course in Understanding Mental Health in Children and Young People.”
Pauline Donaldson, FVC’s Soft Services and Sustainability Manager, said: “Well done to Amy for signing up to a training course during lockdown and being awarded the Certificate in Awareness of Mental Health Problems. It is also great news to find out that Amy is continuing her CPD development by signing up for another course. Her enthusiasm for the course has encouraged some of her other colleagues to sign up also, which is fantastic and something that I am happy to support.”