Karen Cooper

Business Administration

Karen has always worked in an administrative environment, although she had a variety of roles, her interest has been in administration, managing and marketing areas of her posts.

Her route into Higher Education has been a long haul as a mature student, she began her BTEC Public Administration course at her local FE College.  Once she had completed that and enjoyed the opportunity of gaining new skills and acquaintances, she was hooked.

Karen has just completed her Business Administration degree graduating this summer after four years of part time study whilst working full time.

She is currently working for the University of Wolverhampton within the Aimhigher project, which promotes lifelong learning and raising aspirations to achieve from school children to adult learners in the Community or Work Based Learners.  Her focus is the administrative operations and marketing of this initiative to these sectors.

Her programme of study has assisted her in the role she currently undertakes in liaising and promoting the benefits of the return to study to day to day administrative management.

“It was extremely difficult at times to juggle academic study with work and personal priorities, however in the long term it was worthwhile,” she said. 

In the final year of her course, the marketing and research knowledge and skills were put to the test in the Work Based project undertaken, giving a wider experience of the organisation as a whole.  However, the most valuable skill was the chance to network with other partners involved in the project and obtain a broader knowledge of their marketing practices and systems.