Case studies: Operations manager: Emma Beavill

Emma has a BA (Hons) in Business Enterprise from Cornwall College, one of the University of Plymouth's partner colleges. She completed her AAT Level 2 qualification in 2011 and is currently working towards AAT Level 3. She works as an operations manager.

I currently work as the operations manager for Premium Lighting Solutions Limited (PLS), a company that specialises in the manufacturing, distribution and installation of energy efficient and LED lighting.

After graduating in 2010, I signed up to the mailing list for Unlocking Cornish Potential (UCP), a graduate scheme that aims to match nationwide graduates with progressive Cornish companies to fuel innovation, growth, creativity, competitiveness and economic prosperity in Cornwall. I applied for the position at PLS in February 2011. After two rounds of interviews, I was offered a 12-month contract and this has now been extended to a permanent position.

It was essential to have a degree as the job was part of a graduate scheme. The modules I undertook in my degree covered a vast amount of subjects from marketing and ethics to business finance, which helped me to understand the objectives and requirements of the company.

A large part of the job objectives was to develop new administrative systems for the company. I felt that knowledge gained from studying the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT)  Level 2 (particularly computerised accounting) gave me the confidence to say 'I know how to do this'.

My day starts off with writing a list and prioritising my tasks for the day. The next thing I do is to see which projects are coming up, which have commenced or which have finished. From this I can decide who I need to contact, which orders I need to process, and which invoices need to be raised or chased.

Originally my role was setting up the systems and communicating with and providing support for customers and the sales team. Now that the systems are set up, I am able to use them for reporting means, e.g. accounting reports, using project files to see how many installations occur in each month, etc. I have recently been getting more involved 'further back' in the projects and will be aiding in the company's procurement. The accounting side of my role involves credit control, day-to-day ledger accounts and producing management reports with the financial director. I am due to complete my AAT Level 3 qualification shortly and will then move on to studying for Level 4.

I've never had career ambitions as such, but I always knew that I wanted a career (and business cards!) and not just a job. I love that my job has different areas for me to take responsibility for and that there is still room for me to grow with the company.

I really like the structure. I like when a project is arranged and when the accounts balance and are then usable for management reports. I also enjoy the communication that is required of me. On a daily basis, I not only talk to people in the UK, but also to contacts, customers and manufacturers in India, China and Thailand.

When I first started my job, it was essentially a blank canvas. I was required to implement administration systems, which initially I found quite daunting. Now I find that my biggest challenge is ensuring that I make time to prioritise, to take a step back to allow myself to see what I need to do.

Degrees are fantastic things to have, especially with so many supportive graduate schemes in place. I think that a degree can not only give you the knowledge required for a position, but also the confidence to use it to get the career.