Mark Murray

Leadership and Innovation in the Public Sector

Donegal – Letterkenny

1. Can you tell us your name, job title and the course you studied at ATU?
My name is Mark Murray, and I am the Learning and Development Manager with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). I studied for the MSc in Leadership and Innovation in the Public Sector at ATU.

2. Can you share your career path to date?
I have been a career Civil Servant since 1990 and have worked in a variety of roles throughout that time.

3. What does your current role involve?
My current role involves developing and implementing Learning and Development strategies that support the achievement of DAFM’s strategic objectives.

4. What motivated you to start studying?
I was motivated by a commitment to lifelong learning and a desire to further support myself in my role.

5. Why did you choose this course from ATU?
I chose this course because it is directly relevant to both my organisation and my day-to-day responsibilities.

6. How did you find the process of studying online? What elements did you find helpful? Were there elements you found challenging?
I found that the face-to-face workshop lectures and group discussions were very helpful, as they balanced the online elements of the course. Studying online can feel a little isolating at times, so having those opportunities to connect in person made a difference.

7. How did you balance work and study?
To balance my work and study commitments effectively, I devoted large amounts of time at weekends to my coursework.

8. In terms of your employer, were they supportive of your decision to study? Were there elements of the course that were particularly relevant to your current employer?
My employer was fully supportive of my studies, and all of the course modules were directly relevant to my role and to the organisation.

9. What advice would you have for anyone considering studying online?
I would advise anyone studying online to make sure they participate in or create opportunities to meet their peers face-to-face. It is also helpful to set up a WhatsApp group for the class to stay connected and share support.

10. In what way has studying online with ATU benefitted your career?
Studying with ATU has made me more confident and articulate, and I recently had a paper published in the Taylor & Francis Action Learning Journal based on my dissertation.

11. Did this course provide any unexpected benefits to your career?
Yes, it did. Before completing this course, I had never imagined having anything published during my career.

12. Did you find that the elements you were studying had practical relevance in your day-to-day role?
Yes, the material I studied was very relevant to my everyday work.

13. What were the key skills you took away from your time studying at ATU?
The key skills I developed include the ability to analyse large amounts of documentation quickly, improved time-management and study skills, and the capacity to critique and build effective arguments.