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  • Step Up case study - Building a career working with children

    Topics:
    • Employment and skills programmes (including apprenticeships), 
    • Step Up case studies

    Focus on unemployed or economically women. The case studies show the positive impact which the support provides for women in building confidence, refreshing skills, gaining qualifications and work experience and to create progression pathways to further and higher education and/or employment.

    Background

    This participant wanted to try to build her confidence and to build her skills to get back to work. This lady did not know what she wanted to do but had always been interested in working with children and young people.

    On Joining the project, the participant said:

    “I was very nervous on my first day and didn’t know what to expect, the group of women all had a lot in common and the activities helped me feel more settled. It was good to have some time to focus on myself.”

    As part of the programme the group took part in developing their CV. The participant used this opportunity to understand the skills that they already had and started to grow in confidence and understanding of career options for her.

    “It was good to chat to the careers team and to look at options I hadn’t thought of before.”

    This participant completed the programme and successfully progressed to the CC24+ strand achieving her Level 2 in Project for work. She has now enrolled in the classroom assistant course at SERC to pursue her career in working with children. She has also secured a placement at the local Primary School.

    The Step Up tutor said:

    “It has been wonderful to watch her grow in confidence. Her kindness and empathy with her peers in the class shone through and it has been a privilege to be part of her journey.”

    The Participant said:

    “Having been out of work for 11 years, this course has given me the confidence to develop a career that I love.”

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