Just a short phone conversation with Rafiya B was all it took to understand that she has a real passion for helping and supporting other people. Rafiya had volunteered on numerous occasions, often going on missionary work overseas helping underprivileged children by taking sensory toys to youngsters with special needs that are fundamental in their development.

Previously Rafiya had been a waitress, worked in translating and had roles in retail. For a while Rafiya had put her employment career on hold, after having her own children and then being a full-time carer for her son, Rafiya felt something was missing in her life. After searching for an age-appropriate course and not making much progress WHP Walsall suggested Rafiya enrolled on to the level 2 Diploma in IT user skills and principles of marketing course by Release Potential.
On beginning the digital skills course Rafiya admits that “I was anxious at the start…..I am not a camera person and I was apprehensive about how I could juggle the course alongside caring for my son……. but everyone was so helpful and friendly”.

She feels that the environment created by both the tutors and the other learners on the course was responsible for her positive experiences. When asked what area of the course she enjoyed most Rafiya stated “IT is the way to go forward whichever way you look at the future and I was pleased I was able to gain the skills I could then use in a future job”.

In fact, Rafiya had just started using a mac so she made great use of the availability and expertise of the tutor and tutor support who were fundamental in helping her explore this new device, familiarising herself with how to use it and learning about various shortcuts that would prove invaluable in the future.
Rafiya had a successful interview for Capita towards the end of the course and started her new role a week after finishing it. The course gave her the confidence to look for work, “especially after discussing, creating and improving my CV and discussing the job application process”.

Rafiya believes “the course caters to everyone, it will motivate and encourage all, just like it did me!”.