Starting his working life in 2008, Richard began at the Press Association as a reporter, covering events around the world. But, as he got further into his career he began working in the management area within the organisation. He was at that level for a few years in the racing and betting sector, before he took on his current role as head of sport and racing data.
Working his way up to a leadership role, Richard felt that focused learning and ultimately the reward of an academic qualification, would be constructive in bridging gaps in development that would assist in both his current position and the pursuit of future career goals. That’s when the Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship at UCQ caught his eye, as it was something he had been looking at personally, feeling that it struck the right balance between study and vocation offering the maximum benefit overall.
The Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship
The Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship has provided Richard with the opportunity to apply the learning outcomes directly into the workplace. This is really helping him to develop as an individual, a leader and a manager.
The skills Richard has learnt on the course so far are varied yet all equally useful. The leadership and the sales and marketing module are especially useful.
From a personal perspective, having the knowledge, skills and tools developed throughout the apprenticeship have allowed him to apply theories to his current work.
For example Richard has further improved his way of analysing revenue performance on marketing campaigns. This has enabled him to gauge whether it was successful or not. He can now also challenge the rational and take the steps to improve future campaigns.
Richard said: “Challenging yourself and making sure the assumptions of the campaigns success are correct is key in management. Blindly going forward without any real evaluation halts the development of both the individual and the company.”
Richard continues: “The Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship has provided me with a great structure to follow; enabling me to build upon my management, leadership and communication skills. It has also helped me be more effective in my day to day activities.
“If you are looking at how you can improve and challenge yourself, and obtain a more senior position within a company, then this is an incredibly valuable programme to participate in.”
Name – Richard Duncan
Job title – Head of Sport and Racing Digital
Company – The Press Association