TGt Meets IWD Special…Laura Martin of Bath College

To commemorate International Women's Day, we have a special TGt Meets with Laura Martin from Bath College.

Tell us a bit about yourself …

My name is Laura Martin and I’m a Curriculum Manager at Bath College. My department is Education and Health, so we are responsible for delivering courses on Childcare, Learning, Development, Health and Science. Prior to starting my current role last year, I had a range of different roles from being a Primary Teacher, an IT trainer, a Digital Learning specialist and an International Learning Strategy Manager. I am originally from South Wales, but I have lived in Melksham, Wiltshire with my partner Jason for the last 4 years.

Tell us about your business

Bath College is a general further education college in Bath, Somerset. The college has two main campuses: the City Centre campus in the centre of Bath, and the Somer Valley campus in Radstock. We have more than 4,500 learners enrolled across our full time, part time, adult and apprenticeship provision. Our learners study a wide range of vocational and technical programmes at levels 1, 2 and 3, ranging from Engineering, Sport, Performing Arts, Fashion and Criminology to name a few.

What do you love most about your job?

The people. My team is a pleasure to work with and we complement each other in our skills, knowledge and experience of industry, education and life in general. No day is the same and even when things get challenging, we rally around to support each other. The learners are at the centre of everything we do and we pride ourselves on getting to know them really well.

What Is your proudest achievement?

Personally, I’m proud of where I have got to in my career. I left Primary School teaching in 2017 after some really bad experiences left me questioning whether I was any good at being a teacher. I felt like I needed to start again, which is why I moved into Apprenticeships and training. Over the years, I have proven to myself and to my colleagues that I am a skilled, trusted and ambitious individual, and given the right guidance, support, encouragement and autonomy, I am capable of achieving great things. It goes to show that in the right environment, anyone can flourish.

This year’s IWD theme is ‘Inspire Inclusion’ – what does this mean to you?

Accepting people for who and what they are. Supporting everyone to do their best and accepting that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to anything.

What are the biggest challenges you have faced in your career?

As mentioned, taking a step backwards in my career. It meant that I had to swallow the fact that I was no longer doing the job I had dreamt about for most of my childhood, and it was also a big drop in salary. However, it took taking a step back in order to take a bigger leap forward and I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t take that risk. If I didn’t become a Primary Teacher in the first place, I wouldn’t have done most of the jobs I have done since, and I certainly wouldn’t be in my current role. I don’t regret any of my career choices to date.

How do you balance your business and personal life?

I am a firm believer in work-life balance. In education, it is really difficult to completely switch off after 5pm and on the weekends. However, I have set myself strict boundaries and I try to keep to working hours as much as possible. So far, so good.

Which women inspire you the most?

There are too many amazing women that I have had the pleasure and privilege to work alongside so far in my career. However, if I had to name one single person that has inspired me the most, it would be Louise Harris of Tramshed Tech / Big Learning Company. Louise was my mentor when I began as a Digital Learning Specialist, and she saw potential in me to progress into a managerial role. Louise is the type of CEO that will step in when she needs to but prefers to let others learn for themselves. Louise takes everything in her stride and is a true advocate for women in business.

Click here for Bath College's website.