“I’ve put everything I’ve learnt into practice”
Vanessa Polonio
SalesforceÂ
Diploma in Business Sustainability Graduate
What sparked your interest in doing a business sustainability course?
My company released a new product, and it was all related to sustainability and carbon footprint accounting. This was all new to me; this was the first I heard about carbon footprint accounting. I wanted to gain some skills in these areas, and this sparked my journey to research suitable courses in the market. My lack of sustainability knowledge meant I couldn’t make insightful and impactful conversations with clients. By doing a course in sustainability, I felt I could begin to understand and introduce myself to this new business sustainability world.
What made you choose the Institute of Sustainability Studies for your sustainability education?
I researched several different institutions. I came across the Institute of Sustainability Studies and reviewed the course. I realised very quickly from reading it that the course would tick all the boxes that I wanted to learn.
Tell us about your learning experience. What did you enjoy most?
It was a very comprehensive course, and that’s why I decided to do it. However, it also gave me the flexibility I needed at the time because it was completely online. This meant I could learn at my own pace also.
What were your top two takeaways from the course?
I have so many different takeaways, but if I had to choose two, one would be the practicality of the course. The lecturers give you so many examples and insights into the real world. I enjoyed that the course also featured guest speakers who were professionals and experts in the exact topic they were speaking about.Â
That was quite impressive because I never experienced that in previous educational courses. The second one I would say is that I was able to learn at my own pace. I’m working full-time and have a young child, so having the recordings available and having the flexibility was massive.Â
How do you feel that completing the course will impact your career?
The course gave me the knowledge I needed to assist in the development of a new product in my role. We collaborated with a consultancy firm, and the staff were carbon experts. I was able to communicate confidently with them and enhance the conversations. Overall, I’ve put everything I learned into practice. I now know what I am talking about concerning sustainability, and this has resulted in me leading a lot of exciting projects.
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If you are interested in gaining a comprehensive and practical understanding of key sustainability concepts and learning to implement sustainability best practices to confidently lead sustainability initiatives within your organisation, or advance your career in sustainability, start your learning journey today with the Diploma in Business Sustainability.
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