FDM Returners Success Stories: Nicola Morris

What were you doing before joining FDM? 

In my previous career, I was a management consultant, specialising in project management across the UK public sector. After the birth of my fourth child, I chose not to go back to work and trained as a childminder while on my maternity leave. I then ran my own childminding business until my little one was three years old. It was then that I started thinking about going back to ‘real’ work!  

How did you find about FDM and why did you decide to join? 

It took me a while to be sure what I wanted to do on my return to work and I was concerned that I had drifted ‘out-of-date’ while I was off. I also knew that I wanted to be locally based and not have to travel away from home regularly. I started searching on LinkedIn and FDM stood out for me as it offered a supported way back into the workforce with the benefit of refresher training, plus the opportunity of gaining some new skills and qualifications. In March 2021, I joined the FDM Returners Programme after three and a half years of career break.  

Tell us about your experience at the FDM Academy  

The FDM Returner model with training hours being from 9.30 to 4.30 was incredibly helpful to me and it allowed my children to get used to the idea that I was no longer available at all times. Also, having the training conducted fully online was very convenient for me; I didn’t have experience of working remotely, so it helped me get familiar with this way of working. However, the time in the academy was key for refreshing my skills and boosting my confidence.   

During my training, I also attended some of the additional events that FDM was hosting, focusing on learning new skills, improving wellbeing and socialising with colleagues. I enjoyed the excellent speed-networking events and the webinars with some brilliant and inspirational external speakers. Again, these were great to help me get used to current business language. 

The FDM culture is very friendly, welcoming, tolerant and open. It’s a lovely place to be and I genuinely felt ‘at home’ from the beginning. The Returners Programme provided an excellent transition for me from my career break to the workplace. The support from the fellow returners and the FDM team were excellent.   

What’s your current role and how does it play a part in the day-to-day running of the business? 

My current role is a Project Manager, responsible for implementing a set of recommendations by external regulatory bodies. Recently I had to deliver a critical project for the business completely remotely. Bringing a team together and completing everything on time is something I am really proud of. A big part of my role is the management of complexity – I am running around 70 individual small projects and I have to find a way to effectively manage them all and co-ordinate the work across the teams.  

How do you think your personal experiences during your career break have shaped who and where you are today?  

My career break allowed me to reflect and refocus – I realised that a significant ‘golden thread’ through everything that I’ve done is trust and every day I aim towards further building and maintaining that trust. Prior to my career break I was working almost out of habit, now I do it with purpose. 

If you’re looking to restart your career in tech or business, check out one of our dedicated careers programme.The FDM Returners to Work Programme is designed to help people just like you step back into a rewarding career with exceptional training programmes to revamp your skillset, as well as work placements with our industry-leading clients.