Aberdeen businesswoman and mother-of-three Julie Haig is a strong advocate of the Robert Gordon University (RGU) Help to Grow: Management course after taking part earlier this year.
Asked what she personally got out of being in the first intake, she said: “It gave me clarity that what I was doing as a business owner was correct.
“I never went to university, so it was really good to have an insight into that kind of life. It also gave me the confidence to invest in our firm to see it grow.”
The whole experience was extremely positive for our business and I have learned a lot of key skills.”
Haigs is a family business set up in 2007 by husband-and-wide team James and Julie Haig.
It has an award-winning food hall on Schoolhill, and there is also a mobile-shop – Haigs Direct.
Mrs Haig applied to join Help to Grow after seeing it advertised. “I had really enjoyed helping my son during lockdown with his schoolwork,” she said, adding: “That developed an appetite for myself to learn more.
“The course was very easily adapted around my lifestyle. I was surprised at how I was able to fit it in as a busy business owner and mum-of-three.
“A lot was done online. The commitment was around two to four hours per week. The team at RGU were really accommodating. If you were unable to attend sessions, they were very understanding that your business had to come first.”
Mrs Haig continued: “The online module was so easy to manoeuvre and the RGU staff were really passionate about the whole programme. That came across in the teaching.
“I would like to thank the staff at RGU for making it such a worthwhile experience. I would also like to thank my great mentor, Shirley. It was so lovely to speak to someone with a fresh pair of eyes on things about our firm.
“The whole experience was extremely positive for our business and I have learned a lot of key skills. It was also so refreshing to do a business course at this stage in my life.”
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