At the time of my Fellowship in 1995 I was a serving firefighter in Kent Fire Brigade, now Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS), and I was a trade union official for the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). One of the posts I held was Education Officer for the South East Region of the FBU and I was obviously interested in the training of lay or workplace trade union representatives.

I applied for a Fellowship in the theme of Training and Education in Industry. I was able to research how trade unions in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, The Czech Republic, France and Belgium train their trade union officials.

I was able to use the information gained to complete an MA in Industrial Relations, and on retirement from the fire service went on to lecture and train mature students in higher and further education on trade union day-release courses. However, over time I was able to expand and go on to teach young students on public service courses. I have gone full circle and am now back working for KFRS as a Health and Safety Advisor.

The Fellowship enabled me to change direction and explore possibilities.