After more than nine years in people management roles, Lydia Sawyer reached a point where she wanted to extend her impact on workplace culture, wellbeing, and development. While working as a Learning and Development Officer in Vietnam, she had time to reflect on her long-term career goals, and HR emerged as the most natural and meaningful next step.
As Lydia explains, “I’m deeply passionate about employee wellbeing, development, and support. As a manager, I was able to champion these areas within my own team, but I was limited in the wider impact I could have.” Moving into HR offered the opportunity to influence organisational practice more broadly and drive sustainable change.
Studying the CIPD Level 5 qualification with Next Level Impact enabled Lydia to consolidate her experience and build confidence in her professional judgement. “My experience with Next Level Impact was extremely positive,” she says. “The course structure was clear and well organised, and Martin was consistently approachable, responsive, and gave great constructive feedback.”
The programme helped Lydia connect theory directly to practice. “I really enjoyed the programme and found it straightforward, largely because the theory aligned so closely with my real-world experience,” she reflects. This alignment strengthened her confidence and confirmed that she had a solid understanding of HR practice.
A key outcome of the course was increased confidence in handling complex HR and people-related issues. “The programme significantly reinforced my confidence in my knowledge of employment law and in my ability to fact-check and find accurate information quickly,” Lydia notes. Ongoing access to professional resources and guidance helped her ensure that the advice she provides is accurate, compliant, and evidence-based.
The course also encouraged deeper reflection on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. “While EDI had always been important to me, the programme encouraged me to think about it in much greater depth and to consider its impact across all stages of the employee lifecycle,” she explains. This has strengthened her approach to policy, practice, and organisational culture.
Balancing study alongside full-time work required commitment and structure. “With Martin’s guidance, I was able to set clear milestones and manage my workload effectively,” Lydia says. “Studying while working full-time isn’t easy, but completing the qualification is incredibly rewarding.”
Looking ahead, Lydia is now aiming to move into a generalist HR role within a progressive organisation that genuinely values its people. Completing CIPD Level 5 with Next Level Impact has given her the confidence, capability, and professional grounding to take that next step with clarity and purpose.
