21st April 2021
Lindsey was a stay-at-home single parent for a while, who had limited qualifications in the field of teaching, and no up-to-date CV. She wasn’t sure where to start, as all the courses she saw online were at times that didn’t work for her and didn’t fit around her childcare needs. Read on to hear Lindsey’s story in her own words:
How did you find out about Skills Support for Employment?
My Jobcentre Plus work coach made me aware of the Growth Company initially, when I asked about completing some more qualifications to help me improve my chances of finding employment. They helped me book an appointment.
Did you have any other qualifications?
I had some qualifications from college, an NVQ in Sports Therapy, an NVQ in Beauty Therapy, and an NVQ in Food and Drink that I completed whilst in employment. But I didn’t have any qualifications in the career path I wanted to pursue as I wanted to be a teaching assistant.
What would you say was your main barrier to finding work?
My main barrier I faced was childcare. I’m a single parent, and the days and times of courses I’d looked into previously didn’t fit around my childcare or school hours, so it made it feel almost impossible to gain the qualifications I wanted and needed to help me move into my chosen career path.
I felt a little unconfident in my own ability to complete a course all the way through, and I didn’t have a recent CV, with being a stay at home parent for so long. I also didn’t have a laptop, which would allow me to job search and do online courses from home.
Talk us through your goals, Lindsey.
My main goal was to achieve my Teaching Assistant qualification so that I was then able to apply to the relevant roles, but after speaking to my learning mentor, I soon realised that there were quite a few other courses available that I wasn’t aware of initially. We discussed the idea of me completing those as well, to help me gain more qualifications and knowledge to help me in the Teaching Assistant environment.
My other goals included boosting my confidence in job interviews and CV writing because both processes had changed since the last time I was in work, and I wanted help preparing for them.
Did you achieve these goals?
Due to the pandemic, I’m unable to start in my role just yet, but I’ve completed a wide range of courses. Some were in life skills, such as time management, goal setting, budgeting, digital skills, motivation and confidence, equality and diversity and upskilling, which helped me understand how transferable skills work. I was also helped with CV writing and interview skills, which helped to ease me into the learning environment, and boost my confidence.
What would you consider to be the biggest benefit to you from all the support and training?
The biggest benefit has to be the confidence the Learning Mentor and training has given me over the last 18 months. With being a stay at home parent, you feel like you lose touch of certain ways of working however, with the help of The Growth Company, they have given me the confidence to aim for something I didn’t think I would ever be able to achieve.
Since doing the courses, I have stopped doubting myself as much as I used to, as I didn’t think I was clever enough to do the courses required for me to achieve my goal. It’s given me a lot more confidence by seeing people in a working environment. I feel that the more I learn, the better the job opportunities I will have in the future, and this will help me to keep achieving my goals.
If you’ve been inspired by Lindsey’s story and want to work towards your chosen career or even if you just want help to find work, get in touch with us by clicking here.