Leamington woman has her life kick-started by new scheme
A Leamington mum who’d been out of work for ten years while bringing up her children has described how a new scheme has given her the confidence to get back into work.
The Sustained Employment through Learning (SetL) project was launched six months ago to get people back into work and enjoying a career in a job of their choice.
The scheme is delivered through Warwickshire County Council, and Louisa Francis from Sydenham, Leamington Spa, is among a number of early success stories.
Louisa said: "I had been out of work for about ten years bringing up my children and didn’t feel that I had the confidence to apply for the sorts of jobs that I really wanted to do.
“Since starting on the SEtL project I have almost completed a computing qualification and I just feel so much better placed to get back out there. Proving to myself again that I can do it has really built my confidence. There are people of all ages and backgrounds in the IT centre, and I think to myself if they can do it then so can I. I am hoping to secure a job in a local Primary School very soon.
“My son Jonathan has just completed a qualification in Business Administration with SEtL. He was unemployed before starting the project. The SEtL team found him a job placement, and I feel he’s really grown up since doing this. He’d really done nothing since leaving college before getting this opportunity. He’s now in a paid job with the council, which is just fantastic news.”
The scheme is made possible through funding from the European Social Fund and the Learning and Skills Council, meaning that all the training is completely free.
The team are recruiting learners to study in a range of vocational courses, including: carpentry, nail treatment, counseling, computerised accounts, marketing, ICT, floristry, introduction to childcare and business administration.
Helen Flanagan, Project Manager for SetL, said: “I’m delighted with the way the project is going and we’d love to hear from more people. We offer local people with a fantastic opportunity to gain qualifications for employment. All the training on offer is free and we are able to pay peoples expenses to attend courses.
“In order to be eligible for the project people need to be out of work at the moment and be aged 19 or over. If necessary we can also help people with their maths and English, help them with confidence building and to secure employment. We are getting a lot of interest, so I would urge people to get in touch so as not to miss the boat.”
And across Warwickshire the success stories of the SEtL project are being uncovered:
Trevor Tyler from Nuneaton, said: “I was unemployed when I started on SEtL. All my previous work history had been manual work. I didn’t feel that I needed to use my brain much in the past. When I started at SEtL I completed a motivational training course with them over two days called GOALs.
“It was great and really helped to build my self confidence. It made me think that if you’ve got something in mind that you want to do in life then just go for it! This attitude has really worked for me as through SEtL I’ve completed my European Computer Driving Licence and I’m now ready to sit my maths and English qualifications. Even better though, I’ve managed to get a job working in administration. This is a complete career change for me and something I’d never have achieved without the help of the staff at SEtL.”
Keith Chamberlain from Atherstone is another success story. He’d been unemployed for two years after working as a driver for a Tamworth company and was referred to SetL from the local job centre.
Keith said: “I was feeling quite down and wanted some more qualifications, which is quite a step considering it’s more than 38 years since I last did any!“
He now has two Level 2 qualifications in literacy and numeracy (or English and maths, as Keith says), and is now embarking on the ECDL or ‘European Computer Driving Licence’. This is a national qualification – nothing to do with driving – equipping Keith with computer skills to work in an office environment.
He said: “I’ll soon have a set of qualifications in writing, which I’ll be able to show potential employers. And thanks to the employment advisers at SetL, I now feel much more positive about getting a job in the near future. “
The SEtL team can be contacted at their offices in Nuneaton on 024 7632 1972 or on Leamington Spa on 01926 338190.