Professional short courses are a great way to enhance existing skills or retrain in a completely different field and St Mary’s University College, Twickenham offers a range of programmes from aromatherapy to nutrition, helping people get the most out of their careers or completely change their life as recent student Simon Lamb explains.
Former chef Simon recently completed the Level 4 ITEC Sports Massage course at St Mary’s, enabling him to open his own sports massage clinic. He talks about his time at the University College.
Simon suffers from bipolar disorder and as a result has been unable to work for several years. He explained, “Whilst I was unwell I spent a lot of time in bed and was advised to have sports massage as part of my own recovery process to help me move around more. During one of my sessions I started thinking about it as something I could explore for my own career and the rest is history!”
The professional short course takes four months to complete, but Simon’s health meant that he wasn’t always able to attend classes, so he decided to study over a longer period of time. “There were points when I wasn’t able to get to campus for classes, but my lecturers completely understood, which enabled me to complete the course in my own time. I was also able to take advantage of St Mary’s on-site counselling service, which I can honestly say was one of the main reasons I was able to finish, it was such a fantastic resource and really supported me through some difficult times.”
As a self-confessed ‘ultra-runner’, Simon regularly runs marathon distance and recently tackled a 50-mile course. He has now gone on to set up his own clinic, concentrating on fellow runners and athletes, which he runs from home. He said, “As part of the practical elements of the course we had to provide free sports massage to real clients. Since becoming qualified I decided to set up my own clinic and many of my original customers have continued to work with me, which is great.
“Owning my own business is absolutely fantastic and offers me some much needed flexibility. I’ve found that my health has greatly improved since I’ve been working for myself, I couldn’t have wished for more.”
As for anyone considering enrolling on one of St Mary’s professional short courses, Simon couldn’t recommend the University College enough. He added, “Taking this course at St Mary’s was one of the best decisions I have ever made and I would wholeheartedly recommend both the programme and the University College to anyone thinking of either re-training, or just looking to enhance their existing skills.
“Not only are the facilities superb, but the staff are kind, knowledgeable and, most importantly, always understanding of individual circumstances. For a long time there were periods when I was very unwell and it could have been so easy to fall into the cycle of not working and claiming benefits, but this course gave me options and have allowed me to work in a field that I really enjoy.”
Centre for Short Courses Manager Cindy Croucher-Wright commented, “Our professional short courses are ideal for anyone looking for a flexible way to study for a new qualification, or to develop their existing skills.
“Simon was a popular student with his peers and staff alike and was completely committed to his massage course. Despite personal challenges he completed more than the 50 hours practical work needed as part of the programme and was always the first to volunteer, organising study groups with his colleagues.
“We are delighted that Simon’s business is such a success. He is a credit to the Centre for Short Courses and Continuing Professional Development and we wish him every success for the future.”
For more information about professional short courses, or continuing professional development programmes at St Mary’s, please contact Cindy Croucher-Wright on 020 8240 4284 or email shortcourses@stmarys.ac.uk. For more information about Simon's clinic, Six Seconds High please visit the website.
Simon suffers from bipolar disorder and as a result has been unable to work for several years. He explained, “Whilst I was unwell I spent a lot of time in bed and was advised to have sports massage as part of my own recovery process to help me move around more. During one of my sessions I started thinking about it as something I could explore for my own career and the rest is history!”
The professional short course takes four months to complete, but Simon’s health meant that he wasn’t always able to attend classes, so he decided to study over a longer period of time. “There were points when I wasn’t able to get to campus for classes, but my lecturers completely understood, which enabled me to complete the course in my own time. I was also able to take advantage of St Mary’s on-site counselling service, which I can honestly say was one of the main reasons I was able to finish, it was such a fantastic resource and really supported me through some difficult times.”
As a self-confessed ‘ultra-runner’, Simon regularly runs marathon distance and recently tackled a 50-mile course. He has now gone on to set up his own clinic, concentrating on fellow runners and athletes, which he runs from home. He said, “As part of the practical elements of the course we had to provide free sports massage to real clients. Since becoming qualified I decided to set up my own clinic and many of my original customers have continued to work with me, which is great.
“Owning my own business is absolutely fantastic and offers me some much needed flexibility. I’ve found that my health has greatly improved since I’ve been working for myself, I couldn’t have wished for more.”
As for anyone considering enrolling on one of St Mary’s professional short courses, Simon couldn’t recommend the University College enough. He added, “Taking this course at St Mary’s was one of the best decisions I have ever made and I would wholeheartedly recommend both the programme and the University College to anyone thinking of either re-training, or just looking to enhance their existing skills.
“Not only are the facilities superb, but the staff are kind, knowledgeable and, most importantly, always understanding of individual circumstances. For a long time there were periods when I was very unwell and it could have been so easy to fall into the cycle of not working and claiming benefits, but this course gave me options and have allowed me to work in a field that I really enjoy.”
Centre for Short Courses Manager Cindy Croucher-Wright commented, “Our professional short courses are ideal for anyone looking for a flexible way to study for a new qualification, or to develop their existing skills.
“Simon was a popular student with his peers and staff alike and was completely committed to his massage course. Despite personal challenges he completed more than the 50 hours practical work needed as part of the programme and was always the first to volunteer, organising study groups with his colleagues.
“We are delighted that Simon’s business is such a success. He is a credit to the Centre for Short Courses and Continuing Professional Development and we wish him every success for the future.”
For more information about professional short courses, or continuing professional development programmes at St Mary’s, please contact Cindy Croucher-Wright on 020 8240 4284 or email shortcourses@stmarys.ac.uk. For more information about Simon's clinic, Six Seconds High please visit the website.Media enquiries
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