At 49, Nick found himself out of work for the first time in his life when the hotel he worked for closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This enforced lockdown gave Nick time to reflect on what direction he wanted his career to take, and he decided that this was the perfect opportunity to gain some IT skills and additional qualifications which would help him find better paid employment in the future.
Nick was referred to the Conwy Employment Hub as it has access to fully funded training and skills development courses, and he was given his own dedicated advisor, Susan, who worked with and supported him in gaining qualifications to achieve his work goals.
Although lockdown gave Nick time to study, it meant that all courses went on-line and in order to do them he needed access to a computer and the internet which he couldn’t financially afford with no job and relying on benefits. Susan recognised that this was a major barrier for Nick and was able to loan him a chromebook and wifi dongle.
With Susan’s help, Nick was able to access an online training portal and he identified a number of courses he wanted to take – Food Hygiene Level 1 and 2 along with manual handling and risk assessment. He also took a leadership and management course which would help him secure a future supervisory role.
Even when Nick had an accident and broke his leg, he continued his studies and took additional fire safety, fire extinguisher safety and work place first aid courses. All of which Nick knew would show employers he was serious about getting back into work and progressing his career.
As soon as restrictions were lifted and the economy started opening up, Nick started applying for jobs and immediately he secured work within the hospitality industry but at a much higher level with more responsibility and a higher salary due to his newfound knowledge and qualifications.
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