Maggie Reid – External Speaker Talk
Students at St Mary’s and Emmanuel enjoyed an informative presentation by Maggie Reid, independent Human Resources (HR) contractor, about careers in HR. After graduating in Modern Languages, Maggie worked for charity organisations in Africa.
She has a wealth of experience in HR, having worked for the University of Greenwich implementing large-scale pay review projects and, more recently, as an independent contractor for the professional body, The Law Society.

Maggie spoke about there being many subjects at Sixth Form and degree level, which can open up a career in HR including English, History, Modern Languages and social sciences like Psychology, Sociology and Business. She emphasised that certain skills were important for the role. Practitioners need to be good communicators with strong interpersonal skills, willing to work in a team and be organised. HR professionals may find themselves in conflict resolution and advocacy roles, which requires confidence and attention to detail. Others may find themselves in a training role, both in-house or externally, or managing corporate change or transformation projects. In essence, there are many different aspects to HR so it is a career offering variety.
In terms of advice, Maggie urged students to take up as many opportunities as possible within and outside their current programme of study, to gain experience and develop transferable skills.
Maggie is also currently supporting the College in a voluntary role as a member of our Partnership Advisory Board.
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Samuel EMMANUEL Course: BTEC Engineering
“My experience at CTK has improved my sense of self-worth and the one-to-one communication has helped me understand what I need to do to achieve my goals. I'm aiming to go to Queen Mary's University of London to study Physics and Aerospace Engineering. My advice to new students would be to enjoy the experience, make friends with people and study hard to achieve your goals.”
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Jorge EMMANUEL Grades achieved: D*DD Course: BTEC Sport Level 3
“I've had a great experience at CTK. I've met a lot of new people and gained knowledge that I will need in the future. I'm going to study Sport and Exercise Science at Brunel University. My teachers always went the extra mile to make sure I had all my work completed. I would recommend CTK because the knowledgeable and passionate teachers always help students to succeed.”
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Wendy EMMANUEL Course: BTEC Art and Design Level 2 & 3
“I have enjoyed making new friends and also meeting past students at CTK, who have come in to speak to us about what has made them successful. I aim to become an interior designer or textile designer and plan to study Textile Design at university. I would recommend CTK because the teachers always dedicate their time to helping students achieve their goals. ”
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Ajith EMMANUEL Grades achieved: D*D*D Progressed to: Biomedical Science Warwick University Course: BTEC Applied Science
“I would 100% recommend CTK to others. The College improves you not only academically but in all aspects. CTK really lived up to my expectations, I have made good friends and the teachers are so supportive. I was so happy to get my final grades, I'm now going to study Biomedical Science at Warwick University.”
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Rukaya EMMANUEL Grades achieved: D*D*D Progressed to: Criminology and Forensic Psychology at Kingston University Course: BTEC Health & Social Care
“I came to CTK because I heard the College gets great results. My teachers have pushed me to achieve my best and have given me lots of support. I’m so pleased with my grades and looking forward to going on to university.”
Belmont Grove
London SE13 5GE
emmanuel@ctksfc.ac.uk
