The Cupboard That Changed My Career: Why Good Training Starts With How You Learn

Vicki Shevlin
17 hours ago
2 min read

There’s a cupboard I’ll never forget.

It was in the first building I worked in as a newly qualified social worker. A little grey, a little drab, the kind of place where the lift only worked half the time. But I loved it — because it was rooted in the community.

And in that building, on our floor, was the cupboard.

The “direct work cupboard.” It was a mess. Old pens, crumpled paper, bits of half-used worksheets. I saw it my first week and couldn’t unsee it.

So, a few weeks later, I cleared it.I pulled everything out, cleaned it down, organised what was useful, and created something that my team — and the children and families we worked with — could actually use.

Looking back, that cupboard was the start of everything.

It taught me that I don’t wait around for someone else to fix things. It taught me that when something isn’t working, you make it better — for yourself, your team, and the people you serve.

That small act of care set the tone for the rest of my career.

Becoming an Active Learner

Throughout my first year, I said yes to every bit of training I could get on.Not to fill time — but to learn. To soak it up, apply it, share it, and improve practice.

That love of learning turned into a habit. When I read something interesting, I shared it.

When I learned something new, I applied it.When I saw a gap, I filled it.

Years later, I realised: that’s what great training is built on.

You can’t just decide to train social workers because you’re tired of practice. You can’t use training as a “get out.”

The best trainers — the ones who make a difference — are the ones who have lived it, learned it, and keep learning.

Why I Care So Deeply About Training

Every piece of training I deliver through The Social Work Collective Academy comes from that same mindset: make big ideas bite-sized, practical, and accessible.

I’ve spent years investing in my own learning - to research, writing, and beyond. That’s why I can stand in front of a room and mean what I say.

Because I’ve lived it. And because I still care.