This person asked to remain anonymous, so for this story about her time with National Careers Service, we’ll call her Mary.
After working in the fashion industry for seven years, Mary’s life completely changed when she was made redundant.
Mary started applying for new roles, however, after applying for over 200 jobs with little success, she realised she needed a helping hand. She contacted Jobcentre Plus and they pointed her towards the National Careers Service.
Mary decided to attend one of our drop-in sessions which is where she met Careers Adviser; Shahida.
They spent their session concentrating on two main things – looking at different job prospects, and how to apply for positions, particularly as Mary felt things had changed since she’d last looked for a job.
Career prospects…
Mary says: “Shahida showed me a range of career prospects. She went through all the skills that I had made so far in my career journey”
“I hadn’t been out of work for 20 years before this and everything is so different now. Everything is online unlike the first time I did it.”
Shahida adds: “Mary was nervous at the beginning of the session and was quite emotional when she found out about all the support we could offer her.
“We spent much of the session reviewing different career ideas and looked at prospects for teaching job profiles to see if it would be a good fit.”
When Mary decided that teaching could be the route for her, Shahida helped her to enrol on an Open University course in Supporting Children’s Development.
“Shahida showed me some free courses that would be available. It would be in my own time as well so I could fit it around my lifestyle.
“Just because I’m not young doesn’t mean I can’t learn new skills!”
Feeling positive
Mary was also facing challenges with her mental health and she told us Shahida was really supportive.
“It’s somebody caring, you know, when you feel like you don’t matter to anybody and being out of work.
“She made me feel worth something, she was so kind and she put a positive light on everything.
“Nothing was too much trouble and there was no judgement. She made me feel positive.”
Mary is looking forward to a bright new future and hoping to be back in employment soon.
We wish Mary the very best of luck. We just know she will achieve even more amazing things.
And if you’ve been inspired by Mary’s story and would like more information on how we can support YOU, just give us a call on 0800 100 900 or visit our website at nationalcareers.service.gov.uk
Please note: National Career Service and Seetec Pluss are not responsible for the content of external websites
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