Jayne’s Transferable Skills Inspire a New Career

12 years ago, Jayne’s husband had a stroke and she gave up her job in admin to take care of him full time. Jayne has also been a carer for her Auntie with dementia. Sadly, Jayne’s husband passed away last October and Jayne has struggled with isolation and poor mental health since due to the loss and being on her own.

Jayne first approached our Employment Services team in July 2021 and met with our Advisor Katie, who told Jayne about the support we can offer through our Inspire project. She started to volunteer at a local charity and felt that she was ready to get out and meet new people.

Jayne was also ready to get back into work. Taking care of her husband and auntie helped Jayne to realise how important good, supportive care is and how she would like to make a difference to others lives. When Jayne started coming to see us she did not know where to start looking for jobs, so Katie got to work helping Jayne to create a CV adding her years of experience of care for her husband. They discussed interview techniques, considered possible interview questions and started the job search – all over a cuppa of course!

Working with local employers is a key part of our support and Katie contacted a few local residential and care homes on Jayne’s behalf. Through this, Jayne was offered two interviews and was offered both jobs. Jayne chose the role of Health Care Assistant at a lovely local care home and is loving her new career path.

Lisa Connelly, Service Coordinator says: ‘going back to work after a career break can be a daunting prospect for people. Often, they face low confidence levels, uncertainty regarding the job market & convoluted recruitment processes. Our friendly team help people to navigate this system & draw up an action plan that ultimately leads to their goals. It’s always great to see positive outcomes like Jayne’s – well done all involved!’