Karaoke Queen finds something new to sing about
As a finalist in the 2006 Search for a Star heat, June (Lizzie) Walley, has had little to sing about, that was until she was referred to Warwickshire County Council’s Skills for Jobs project.
Now thanks to support from the local project, June has recently secured a new job and is back out singing again.
June was made redundant from her job in 2007. This meant that she had to survive on benefits, which led to her feeling quite isolated. With little success applying for jobs, June was referred to the Skills for Jobs project by Leamington job centre. Within 3 weeks, Skills for Jobs helped June secure full-time work with Fozmula on Sydenham Industrial Estate.
Speaking about the experience, June Walley said:
‘Singing in public is my passion. I used to go to Karaoke all the time and I even sang 4 years running at the ‘switch on’ of the Leamington Christmas lights. Since losing my job I just haven’t had the money to go out. It’s really isolating trying to survive on Jobseeker’s Allowance. Most of my friends were working and I ended up getting left out of the social circle.
“Things started to turn around once I was able to get some support. Skills for Jobs helped me to brush up my IT skills and gave me the training I needed on how to perform well at job interviews and how to write good applications. I knew this time when I wrote the letter to Fozmula that I was in with a chance.
“It can be terrifying going to interviews when you’ve been out of work so long, but this time I put everything I’d been taught into place and felt really confident I’ve now got a wage again and I can afford to get my singing back on track!”
Helen Flanagan, Project Manager on Skills for Jobs, said:
“We are really pleased for June. She already had the skills to do this job. She just needed a bit of a confidence boost from us really. Skills for Jobs aims to provide each client with exactly what they need to move into work quickly.
"We can provide a wide range of training free of charge and we even pay travel expenses. So whether people want to pursue vocational skills, learn some IT, develop their self confidence or just learn that winning formula for a successful interview we will do all we can to get them there!”
To join Skills for Jobs, you need to have been out of work for at least 12 months and be aged 19+. So if you are looking for work and you would like the help of the Leamington team, then call 01926 487405.