“ILM courses have given me recognised qualifications that back up my experience as a manager”

Learner Karl Rudakov has worked in employability since 2005, starting out as an advisor and progressing into management just three years later. With more than 15 years of experience under his belt, Karl has carved out a successful career and brings a lot of experience to his role. Yet despite his wealth of on-the-job knowledge, his recent completion of a Level 4 ILM Management qualification with ACT marked his first venture into qualified, external training.

Karl currently works as a Delivery Manager at Newport City Council and is now working towards his Level 5 qualification. Until recently, he managed four significant projects, including the DWP Restart Programme – the UK government’s flagship employability scheme – as well as various Welsh Government and Shared Prosperity Fund initiatives. His work involves managing staff and budgets, monitoring performance and compliance, and leading organisational change.

“There’s a lot of change within these projects,” Karl said. “When we have different budgets, it often means changes to delivery, staffing structures, or even what the project looks like. That’s where the ILM has really helped me – it’s given me new tools to work with.”

Despite his vast experience, Karl had never obtained a formal management qualification before enrolling on the ILM Level 4. Encouraged by his HR business partner, he saw the course as a way to validate his skills and future-proof his career.

“I’ve done lots of internal training, but nothing accredited. And sometimes when you go for jobs, they say you need a degree or a relevant qualification. I haven’t got a degree, so this helps me tick that box.”

Initially hesitant about returning to structured learning Karl found the course to be a practical and accessible route into formal learning. Balancing study with a demanding job and active family life can be challenging bit both ACT and the council made the process manageable.

“We’ve got an agreement in work that 20% of our time can be used for learning,” he explained. “ACT have been brilliant. [My tutors] Rachel and Joanna understood that my personal time is tight, so they helped me fit the work into my working day where possible.”

He also appreciated the flexible format of the course. “The mix of written and oral assignments helped me manage my time. I prefer the talking side – I can sit and talk about anything – and I think it’s a faster way to demonstrate what you know.”

Karl found the content of the course immediately applicable to his role. Topics such as managing change, health and safety, recruitment, and strategic planning all resonated with his daily responsibilities.

“The managing change unit stood out because that’s such a big part of what I do. Same with recruitment, I’ve inherited projects with poor recruitment and it’s caused a lot of problems. The course has helped me identify the right people, not just in terms of skills but also team fit.”

He also praised the strategic planning modules. “When we were delivering Shared Prosperity Fund projects, I had to write cabinet briefings and business cases to justify our work. That’s where the strategic planning element came in. I was able to identify gaps in service delivery and make the case for new projects.”

He also found simple analysis tools like SWOT and PESTLE made a difference. “These help you plan and justify decisions. Sometimes they’re just a way to check yourself and make sure you’re on the right track.”

Despite learning a lot of new skills throughout the course, it was just as much about honing the skills Karl had already garnered throughout his career.

“I’ve been managing since 2008, this course hasn’t just helped me do my job better – it’s given me recognised qualifications that back up my experience.”

While Karl currently has no plans to leave his role, he sees the ILM qualifications as a key part of his long-term career development. “It validates my experience. If I ever do want to move – within the council, to another local authority, or even another industry – it gives me options.”

From an organisation’s perspective, work-based learning has also been a positive at all different levels of operation. Jane Westwood, HR Business Partner at Newport City Council, explained: “The council have partnered with ACT as our main workplace apprenticeship partner for more than eight years now.

“The range of qualifications offered fits in with the diverse roles throughout the whole council – from refuse collection, to caring, to accounts, and health and safety. There will always be the appropriate qualification to align with someone’s roles.

“We also introduced apprentices to the council where we particularly wanted to recruit younger people to join the authority. To date we have placed more than 45 specific apprentice roles with many achieving permanent positions.

“The way ACT deliver their qualifications allow all staff options to upskill – for their current role or for their career progression.

“At Newport City Council we believe our staff are our priority as they deliver our services to the public. To have staff trained allows us to deliver the best service possible, ACT work with the individuals and their managers to achieve this.”

Explore ACT’s management qualifications here.