A new job for James
A Sheffield man has changed his career and got back to work, thanks to learndirect and Jobcentre Plus.
James, 21, had been working for a roofing company when he was made redundant last Christmas.
He said: “Getting laid-off really made me think about whether or not I wanted to keep working in the building trade. I decided it was time to make some changes, and see what else was out there.”
Signing on at his local Jobcentre Plus office, James found that many of the jobs on offer were in administration. After a chat with a careers advisor, he was referred to BEST Training, a local learndirect centre, to get the skills he’d need to work in an office.
“Working at a desk rather than on a building site really appealed to me,” explained James. “There was this one job on the system that I particularly fancied - an Administrative Assistant for the Home Office, working in the Immigration Department. I thought, ‘if I had the right skills, I could do that’, and decided to see if learndirect could help me learn what I’d need to know.
“I was really nervous about going down to the centre at first. I’m not sure I’d have made it if my Dad hadn’t given me a lift! I think I was worried it would be like a school room, but actually it’s really cool. Everyone is really nice, they get you a cuppa as soon as you come in, and just make sure you’re comfortable.
“That first day they had a chat with me about what I wanted to do, and why. In no time at all I’d done a skills check to see what level I was at, and got started on my first course.
“Learning with learndirect is nothing like school, which just wasn’t my thing. I spent my time just messing around, and left as soon as I could with a couple of okay GCSEs. With learndirect though, there’s no one telling you what to do, how to do it, or when to do it. You can go in whenever you like, do as much of your course as you like at a time, and do it at your own pace. There’s always someone about to help if you get stuck, or explain anything you’re finding difficult.”
James started on courses to work towards the nationally recognised European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) qualification, and has so far completed modules in word processing, databases and PowerPoint.
He said: “I knew a bit about computers, but it’s amazing how much quicker and easier it gets when you know the short-cuts and the tricks to it all. The word processing course was particularly useful because it teaches you stuff like how to write and set out a letter. I didn’t even know before there was a right and wrong way to do it!”
After just a couple of weeks, James was ready to put in an application for the Home Office job. He continued: “I got help from a careers advisor about what to wear and what to expect if I got offered an interview, and I buffed up my CV at BEST Training with the help of one of the tutors.
“When I did get offered an interview, I have to say I was really quite nervous! I’d never done one before because in building you just turn up on site and get going. My plan was just to talk about what I was doing on my ECDL and how much I was enjoying it, and just to try and make a good impression. Whatever I did it must have worked because a few weeks later I got a letter telling me I’d got the job!”
While James can’t wait to get started in his new career, he’s determined he’s going to finish his qualification. He added: “I’m definitely planning to keep working on my ECDL, going into the centre in the evenings after work. I’ve got four more modules to go and I know they’re going to be really useful in getting my admin skills up to scratch.
“I wouldn’t have got this job without learndirect, and I’m going to see where else it can take me. I reckon if my school teachers saw me now they’d be very surprised! learndirect worked for me, and I’d recommend anyone else to give it a go and see what it can do for them.”