Debbie Mitchell NEBOSH National Diploma

Debbie is a Health, Safety and Environmental Manager and mother to a 6-year-old. She wanted to progress her career. So she took the NEBOSH Diploma to learn new areas of health and safety and get professional recognition.

Debbie won the award for NEBOSH Best Student for Unit B 2018.

Finding the best fit

Debbie’s role includes auditing, incident investigations, reporting, training and running HSE campaigns. She’s also responsible for developing and implementing environmental management systems and engaging the community. Debbie was keen to progress her career and learn new areas of health and safety that she didn’t directly deal with in her role. So she chose to study the NEBOSH Diploma online.

Debbie knew that the course would involve a lot of work and commitment. But being a full-time mother, studying online meant she was able to fit her studies in around other commitments. Being organised was key. She put together a study plan and started studying during lunchtimes, evenings, weekends and after she put her son to bed.

“I chose to study online learning rather than class because it is more flexible. It required a lot of motivation, but I managed to fit the course around work and family commitments”

Preparing for the NEBOSH Diploma Exams

Debbie describes herself as the sort of person who works well under pressure, especially if there is a deadline. So she became extremely focused in the lead up to her exams.

She used resources like case studies and YouTube videos to help put theory into context. This made the topics come to life so she could understand how they work in the real world. She also used the past exam questions within the online course to test herself and practice her exam technique. The instant examiner feedback helped her to understand how to answer questions in the “NEBOSH way”

“It’s important not to rely on learning stock answers. You need to have an understanding of the topics and practical applications in a number of different circumstances.”

Life after the NEBOSH Diploma

Since completing her qualification, Debbie has already noticed her confidence has improved. She now has a much greater understanding of the health and safety culture within her organisation and ways to improve it.

“I am happy in my current position within my workplace, but am always open to new opportunities and challenges!”

Debbie’s advice to you

The main piece of advice I would give is that there is a lot of work involved, and there are no short cuts. Make sure you know the subject inside out and understand the practical application. I found past exam questions useful.

As long as you manage your time effectively, and make study time focused, it doesn’t have to consume everything else in your life (well, except on the lead up to exams!). It’s definitely worth it in the end. Most of all there are no short cuts, so just take the time learning and understanding the course material.