Real life stories
On the road to success
With difficult economic times now a fact of everyday life, workers up and down the country are considering their futures. And for many that means looking at improving their skills to ensure they are in the best position to take advantage of any opportunities.
When Suzanne Welburn, 39, was made redundant from the company where she had worked for more than 21 years, she was absolutely devastated and felt as though she was on the scrap heap. But thanks to the careers advice, help and support she received, she has picked herself up and is now on course to a new career as a teaching assistant.
Suzanne, who lives near Hull, had worked her way up the company and was an engineering resource co-ordinator in charge of a small team when her employer had to make redundancies. “I must have cried for five days when I got the news,” she said. “I had grown up with the company and I didn’t know what to do with myself. I was in shock. I felt as though I had no purpose in life with no transferable skills to offer another employer. Your job makes you who you are and without it, I was lost.”
It was one of her former colleagues who suggested she seek careers advice and since she did, she hasn’t looked back. Suzanne was thinking about a change of career and wanted help with her CV, job applications and course searches.
“My adviser was brilliant,” Suzanne added. “She has done so much to help me. It was really scary, finding myself out of work for the first time in more than 20 years. My confidence was low and I believed I didn’t have anything to offer, but my adviser did all she could to help, did not once make me feel stupid or worthless, just genuinely wanted to help me get back into work. Any information I needed, she got for me.”
Suzanne is doing a NVQ Level 2 S.T.L.S (Teaching Assistant) qualification and volunteering in a local primary school to get experience, as well as brushing up on her maths and English. “I am absolutely loving it and have got something to get up for in the mornings,” she said. “I am helping the children with their reading and writing, and it’s so rewarding working in a school, particularly with Christmas coming.”
Suzanne hopes to get a job as a teaching assistant when she finishes her course in the summer and maybe move into teaching eventually, a career she considered when she left school.
Suzanne’s careers adviser, Emma Bowers, has recently been advising workers who are considering making a change.
“There are things that people can do to help themselves when applying for jobs,” Emma said. “These include focusing their job searches, rather than making haphazard applications, and thinking about identifying their transferable skills and achievements and confidently communicating these to potential employers.
“By putting together tailored, functional-style CVs, individuals stand a much better chance of making a good first impression with any potential employers. I would also advise people to try networking and making proactive, speculative applications directly to employers, rather than waiting to apply for advertised vacancies. By doing this, people can uncover roles which will attract fewer applicants.
“It is often a lack of confidence that stops people taking steps to change their lives, with people feeling trapped and without any goals to strive towards. By seeking advice, people can be helped to overcome these barriers and create a positive future by changing their lives, whether in their current job, by changing career or taking the first step on the career ladder.”
To find out more about how the National Careers Service can help you, visit nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk or call 0800 100 900.
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