Josh Cumming is a Leading Hand in the workshop at Stockton – New Zealand’s largest opencast mine. At 25 years old, Josh is one of the youngest Leading Hands. To support himself in this position and prepare for future opportunities, Josh decided to upskill in management.
A friend recommended Josh complete a first line management course. On search for an opportunity, Josh came across the New Zealand Certificate in Business (First Line Management) (Level 4) provided by eCampus NZ. As Josh worked full time and lived on the West Coast, eCampus NZ was an ideal education provider as it enabled him to complete the certificate part time and online.
While studying with eCampus NZ, Josh worked afternoon shifts, so he studied in the morning and in the weekends.
“I would read all the material on the weekdays and then complete the assignments in the weekends,” says Josh.
At first Josh found it challenging not studying in a traditional learning environment and worried he wasn’t interpreting content correctly. That quickly changed with the support from the eCampus NZ online community and his course facilitator.
“My course facilitator Melanie was brilliant. If I had a question, she would help put me on the right track. Having her reassurance was great,” says Josh.
After completing the Certificate in First Line Management, Josh has new confidence and has developed critical skills in performance management and how to build a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP).
“As I’m relatively young, I haven’t had much experience with performance management conversations. I have always had managers above me that handle these situations, so I found it really interesting to learn about the process and about PIPs. When I progress my career, I am now prepared with the training I need so I won’t be stepping into situations blind. The fact I have learnt this will be a big help in my career”.
Josh also enjoyed learning the theory behind leadership principles.
“I’ve learnt through mimicking what people before me have done. This course explained things like the ‘walking around technique’ and having an open-door policy. I knew what was required to be an open leader and how to build relationships with your workers but learning why people do it and the study behind it was interesting.”
In summary, Josh says the information that you learn in the First Line Management Certificate is universal and valuable to anyone.
“If you’re heading down a supervisory role, look into it, it can be used in so many different industries, from teaching to the supermarket sector. I fully recommend it.”
Are you looking for a change in career direction? Are ready to step up to more of a leadership role? Or have you recently been made a supervisor, team leader or manager? Then the New Zealand Certificate in Business (First Line Management) (Level 4) could be just what you need.
Please note that the image used is a stock image model and not an actual photo of Josh.