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Learning Lead - Margarita Iashchina

Updated: Mar 11


Picture of Margarita Iashchina.

As a second-year master’s student in IT and Learning, I got an internship at an amazing Swedish consulting company, Sigma Technology. I sat down with one of my supervisors and mentors, Margarita Iashchina, a fellow IT and Learning alum.

Today, Margarita shares her journey to becoming a Learning Lead at Sigma’s Learning Team. She also explains why learning is so important for corporate organizations, and why Sigma is the place to go if you need support for your organization.


Q: First, tell me about your background and what got you into the learning industry?

A: It all started with languages. I really liked learning languages as a kid and a teenager. When I was 17, I got a tutoring job as an English teacher for a kid. It was just a side hustle, pocket money for me. Then, apparently, I was very good at it [tutoring] and that neighbor recommended me to five other neighbors, and I became like the sponsor of the whole area! I was tutoring a lot of kids and then I went, and I studied languages.


I did my bachelor's degree in linguistics and then did a semester abroad in Norway, also in linguistics. When I came back, I was like, 'why don't I try to do this whole language thing professionally?' I got hired by a language center and I started teaching English to adults. Then it progressed from there.


It started with me being a teacher, and then I started creating my own materials. We would call it a methodologist, but now it would probably be called a learning experience designer. Then I grew to the project manager in this learning area. The company did language and soft skills training and I would design learning programs for both. So that's what got me into the learning industry!


Q: Was was the reason you chose the IT and Learning program at Gothenburg University (GU)? 

A: There were many reasons. My background was in languages, but because I got into this whole teaching/learning industry, I thought I should maybe dedicate myself full-time to education. I really liked technology, digital education, e-learning, and online learning so I was looking for a program that would combine all of that. I also wanted to study in Scandinavia for personal reasons, I liked it here. So, this was the program that caught my eye.


Q: For students who are going to graduate and go into learning, as a Learning Lead and former learning consultant, what do you think students should know about your role or the skills that you've developed while working? 

A: I started being a consultant only three years ago at Sigma. Now, as a Learning Lead, I still have some overlap with consultancy, but my role now includes identifying new clients and their learning needs, supporting current clients in their learning goals, and strengthening the Sigma brand in the learning sector. Other parts of being a Learning Lead consist of helping to upskill our employees in the learning sector to better serve clients, aiding in the recruitment of learning consultants, and of course, contributing ideas to continue developing our internal training programs.


The skills you need to develop depend on what you want to do. If you want to be a designer, for example, a learning experience designer or a UX designer, in that case you need to develop either of these things. I wouldn't get stuck on software and tools, but [work] more on principles and being curious. Learn about all the good design principles. Follow leaders, and opinions, read books, and educate yourself, of course! I think good communication or time management planning is very useful if you're going to be in project management or any sort of digital media. If you can, learn how to use Illustrator, Photoshop, Figma, all the Articulates and so on.


Q: What do you feel differentiates you from any other company or learning experience?

A: As a consulting company, we have a lot of expertise within the company. When customers hire us, it means that they don't hire “one person”, they hire one person with a whole background of other people who can help them.


Q: What is it that you're bringing to your clients that you feel is really part of the Sigma principles and yourself as a representation of the company?

A: Specifically at Sigma, I think our power is that we're a good vibes company. We're a very diverse company, quite young in terms of staff so there are people who bring a fresh outlook. We keep up-to-date with technologies. We-- what do you call it? Keep your finger on the pulse! We're modern and diversified, I would say that's really nice. I don't know if it's important for people, [but] I think Sigma is a very pleasant company to work with. We've been on the market for a long time. We've got good experience.


Q: Anything else that you want students or people who want to work as consultants in the future to know?

A: Unfortunately, I would say that it's not the easiest industry to enter, but when it's done well, in a quality way, it's really fulfilling and satisfying. Don't expect that it will be very easy to find a job. But when you do find a good fit, you will probably not regret it. You will really like it.


Q: What do you want to say to potential clients? What is Learning all about here at Sigma?

A: I would say that investing in learning and supporting your employees is probably one of the smartest things that you could do as an employer. Do not miss this opportunity! Do not just dismiss it as something like “ahh we’ll be fine”. Make sure that it's a quality thing that you're investing in. Make sure that it's quality and consistent. Most importantly [learning should be] useful and fun for your employees! Make sure that you're doing it for them, for your users, and learners.


If you want to learn more about Sigma Technology Information and the Learning Team check out their LinkedIn page:


Or listen to Margarita on the Sigma Technology podcast “Information Talks” available on both Spotify and Apple Podcast!





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