GUEST ADDRESS
Boyd Hargreaves MBS, PG (cert), PGCE, BA(Hons), FHEA Senior lecturer economics and finance, University of Worcester
It is a privilege to be here today in my capacity as CIPP link tutor for the University of Worcester to help you all to celebrate this significant milestone in your careers: congratulations to you all.
Moreover, your achievements have had the added complications of the Covid-19 pandemic; the challenges that we have all had to endure make this face-to-face celebration of success in this beautiful setting more rewarding and inspiring – congratulations once again. I have been involved with the CIPP since January 2021, and, I will be honest with you, my knowledge of both payroll and pensions was, and, compared to all of you, remains somewhat limited. Yes, my wages appear in my bank account every month, and yes, my pension contributions are deducted, and yes, I take it for granted that this is accurate and timely. Perhaps most people are like me. My background in delivering and teaching economics and finance across a range of educational settings and institutions has obviously provided me with a little insight (at best, some insight), but I suspect that many people are unaware of the CIPP and the tremendous job that it does for your profession. Having said that, the people who really matter do know; your employers know, and anyone involved with payroll or pensions knows. As such, they know about your qualification, the importance of your qualification and the true value of your qualification. Whilst this qualification is a significant milestone, it is not an end but merely another step, another chapter in your lives that will enable you all to meet the next challenges head on, and as I have been told many times in a variety of situations, we are all on different pathways in life. To give you a personal example, my mother was awarded a scholarship to study at Goldsmith’s in London in the early 1950’s – very unusual for a working-class woman from Lancashire, yet my father left school at fourteen to become an apprentice toolmaker. His pathway was very different as he spent many years studying part-time at night school, before becoming a production engineer. I have three other siblings and education was, for us, very important. We were all expected to go to university with no discussion. What I’m attempting to illustrate here is that we are all on different pathways and from that we can all make choices and decisions that will enable us to go further and develop more in our careers, and as members of society. You all work for a variety of organisations, and your achievements to date mean that you have become more valuable and versatile employees, and I hope that this will be a catalyst to bigger and better things for you all. As you acquire more experience, you will have the opportunity to share this with other colleagues, perhaps by mentoring other more junior colleagues, perhaps in a leadership role or perhaps there will be the opportunity to become a CIPP tutor. Additionally, there will be opportunities to study further, to follow on from your Foundation Degree, for example.
There are, indeed, many possibilities that lie ahead and it is your choice which one you choose – the one that is most appropriate for you moving forward.
Finally, you should be proud of your achievements to date and be proud to celebrate these with family and friends alike. Congratulations once again, and my best wishes go to all of you as you move forward towards the next chapter of your lives.
17
Classes of 2020 and 2021
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