Full-time mum to full-time work
A mother of four has had a helping hand in going from her life as full-time mum to full-time work.
Alison Charity decided that with her children now aged 16, 15, 12 and 10 it was time she got back out into the world of work, but thought she might need some help brushing up on her interview skills.
Through her work as a volunteer at the Nuneaton and Bedworth Volunteer Centre, Alison spotted a leaflet advertising the new Warwickshire County Council Skills for Jobs project.
This is aimed at Warwickshire adults who have been out of work for at least 12 months, partuclarly those who have taken a career break to care for children, those who have been caring for an elderly relative, or the long term unemployed.
Offering a host of free services ranging from free ICT training, to interview skills, confidence building and even food hygiene tuition, Alison decided this was the way forward for her and headed to the Nuneaton centre.
She said: “I’ve kept pretty up to date with computers and technology, but my fear was that I didn’t have the qualifications or experience to prove that I knew these things, which is a real problem when you’ve not been working for a while.
“Skills for Jobs was a great help. The biggest single thing was doing the practice interview technique sessions, as this gave me real confidence that I was the right person for the job. They also went through my CV with me.
“I’ve now just started a job as and administrative assistant with a company in Exhall, not far from where I live in Bulkington. I’m still in touch with Skills for Jobs though as they are now putting me through my NVQ in Business Administration.”
Project Manager for Skills for Jobs, Helen Flanagan, said: “We are really happy for Alison. She basically already had the skills required to get this job, she only needed a bit of a confidence boost from us really. This is often the case with people who have been out of work for a while, where just the prospect of attending an interview can be terrifying. We are here to help people move back to work whatever their skills or experience, and we focus our support on exactly what each person needs.”
For more information or to book an appointment call 024 7664 1446 if you live in the north of the county, or 01926 889944 in the south of the county.