Case studies: Enterprise officer: Tawanda Mhondiwa

Tawanda studied an HND in Business at the University of Wolverhampton and continued his studies to complete a BA (Hons) in Business Management in 2010. He now works at Wolverhampton City Council.

I chose to study business as I have always wanted to operate a business or work in a business kind of environment. I feel I have what it takes to run a business as I have the passion for it. My career aim is to be an entrepreneur. It has always been my dream and this is what drives me.

I have always wanted to study business to a degree level and an HND was the qualification that helped me to do just that. After I completed my HND, I enrolled for a top-up degree. My course tutors also helped me decide what I wanted to do next. With all that help and my ambitions, I realised if I worked hard for this I could do it.

I secured my current job by registering and working with my university’s careers and employment centre. They then registered me on the graduate Step programme for internships. It was through this work that I secured my permanent full time job at the council. The position required someone who had studied business to a degree level and I met this requirement. I applied for the position and went through a very rigorous interviewing process, resulting in me being successful.

I have helped many businesses in Wolverhampton city centre apply for security grants to put security measures in place for their riot-damaged businesses. I spend most of my time visiting the businesses that were affected, drafting the application forms for the grants and communicating with them about the measures they need to put in place for the future. The process is not straightforward as some businesses could not put shutters on their businesses to secure them, either because they needed planning permission or there were a lot of legalities involved. I deal with a number of different departments within the council to resolve this and help businesses access the grants available.

I really enjoy getting to meet different businesses, and when I manage to help them, it gives me a sense of achievement. However, there are a lot of legalities that I deal with every day. I have to be very careful and accurate when carrying out my duties.

I am studying ITQ Level 2 part time at a local college as a solid computer qualification is a necessity. I want to learn as much as I can to be able to be competitive. I would love to do an MBA at some point in the future.

Alongside my job, I also work as the secretariat for the Black Business Network in Wolverhampton and we have put together a board representing local Black businesses. The process has been very challenging for me as I am the one who contacts people, organises the meetings and visits businesses to unite them. I have to write minutes for the meetings and work with other businesses providing support and helping them access business support services and finance.