Support for UkraineEmployability Course Helps Learner Get New Job
Karen, aged 60, has recently completed an employability course with us in Poole Adult Learning Centre.
Karen was working with the community and the elderly for over 10 years. She joined our Sector Based Work Academy (NHS Admin roles) to help her progress, gain more confidence and a new role.
Before the course, Karen was struggling with her confidence to apply for jobs and go for interviews. She had been working in her previous role for a long time and found it hard to understand what new jobs to go for. “I was looking at hospital jobs originally, and said to Nicky, I’ll go in at level 2. She said no, you go in at level 3, where your skills are. I’d lost all of that kind of confidence with the experience I’ve had in my life with jobs.” Karen said “Having that nice gentle nudge, and that ‘yes you can’” made all the difference.“
Over the past few years, Karen has experienced some personal challenges which made a job change harder. She also felt age would be a barrier in applying for jobs. “I felt I was going to be too old now, and obviously that’s proved not to be the case”. “It’s nice to know that’s not a block for the employers”. At Skills and Learning, we are really passionate about this – that learning is for life and age should not be a barrier to reaching your goals. To see Karen believe this and achieve her goal is amazing.
On the course, Karen learnt new skills including interview skills, communication and presentation skills.
“It helped in so many ways. Even just going into groups and having to speak up, that is just not my thing, but I was able to do it. Being in the group, the tutor Nicky… it was amazing.” Karen said Nicky was a great tutor and “her approach and the way she did things was so good.” She said the rest of her class felt the same.
Nicky, course facilitator, said “it was fantastic for me and the team to see Karen grow and improve her confidence levels, she is a different person now and well on the way to achieving her full potential.”
Karen has now started her new role as Care Coordinator in Blandford. She now works across 3 surgeries and plans care packages for patients. As part of her role, once a month patients come in and visit her to be signposted to other care. Karen said she is really looking forward to this. The confidence boost and communication skills she learnt on the course will support her in this as well as her day-to-day operations.
Karen plans to study with us again and will study Maths as part of her next goal. We can’t wait to welcome her back, and we wish her all the best in her new job and next adventure.
“It’s worth doing and it’s valuable for you. For me, it’s shown it’s led to success. Sometimes you need that bit of support and help to give you that boost to go ahead and do it.”
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