Graduating CQU student Debara Foran is hoping for an extra award soon after she collects her graduate certificate in Human Resource Management at a ceremony in Rockhampton on Saturday, October 2.

Ms Foran, a consultant currently working as a project manager for Ergon Energy in Rockhampton, is currently short-listed for the regional AIM (Australian Institute of Management) Professional Manager of the Year awards due to be announced later in October.

(Regional finals are to be held at the Dreamtime Cultural Centre on October 8).

The distance education student said she intended to continue her HRM studies at CQU while continuing her work as a consultant.

Ms Foran said her CQU studies were a useful complement to her workplace experience.

"You can have great strategies, project concepts, scopes and plans but if you don't have the right people, with the right mix of knowledge, skills and abilities that are congruent with delivering organisational objectives and values, project success is at risk," she said.

"As a consultant, currently working in a project management capacity, I'm in the business of managing tasks and leading people to deliver these tasks and achieve milestones.

"My CQU studies help me to challenge my own thinking models, provide opportunity to mix and share experiences with other HRM students and/or professionals, and are the key to my own professional development in managing all of the HRM components necessary to be a successful project manager." Ms Foran said it was easy to study while working because CQU was supportive and provided flexible study arrangements.

"The CQU online intranet tools have also been an invaluable source of information, resource materials and learning, enabling me 24 x 7 access," she said.

"As I work long hours and often travel intrastate this was a key reason for me choosing CQU for study and has been paramount to the successful completion of my Graduate Certificate in HRM."