Mike Longman

In 1964, when Mike Longman started his first job at the age of 16 as a junior clerk in the London Borough of Brent education department, it was not unreasonable to assume he would have a job for life. The world was very different then! Three years later he transferred to housing, and later still moved to be Head of Housing for Hertsmere – a major culture shock! It was so much more serene than Brent, less fiercely political, with less social problems to deal with – and less houses!

“I thought I would be in local government for the full 40 years, till I was 58, when I planned to retire. Coming up to my 50th birthday, I was offered voluntary redundancy with a very attractive early retirement package. With some trepidation, I accepted, then took three months out to get over the shock, and consider what I wanted to do next,” he recalls.

“My wife at the time worked for Scoll, and I already knew one of the Directors, Geoffrey Rose, from our church at Stanmore, so when Geoffrey suggested I trained to become a lecturer in project management, it somehow all fell into place. I took the five-day Scoll PRINCE 2 Practitioner course. There were eight in the group. Geoffrey was very impressive and thorough as a trainer, both in individual and group work. It was fun, but also very hard work, with three hours of homework each evening. I passed, and I became a professional trainer in 1999.”

“I am self employed and I do both training and consultancy work for Scoll and others. In some ways it was natural to me, as I have given many lectures over the years and have spoken at local government housing seminars. It was absorbing the actual PRINCE2™ subject matter that was tough for me.”

“There is something very special about Scoll Methods as a company, an ethos of honesty and integrity. I wanted to work for a small company that shared my values, and offered good quality training at reasonable prices. It gives me such a kick when delegates really participate in the courses and do well. I am particularly proud of the fact that two of my delegates each scored a 100% for the multiple choice foundation course exam!”

“I owe Scoll a big debt of gratitude. They have been very influential in giving me the opportunity of a major career change, and I am particularly grateful to Geoffrey for all the help and support he has given me. I love the work, and have rarely looked back!”