Geraldine joined our Civil Service programme with the hopes it would help towards gaining employment and even joined us a second time on one of our Returneeship courses! Read Geraldine’s story below to get a look at her unique position of working on two courses in succession!

What were you doing before you started the programme?
I worked at Tesco for seven years initially as a retail officer, and then in administration in file management control which is linked to pricing in store. I also worked as a personal assistant for a shipping company in London, and as a receptionist for Newham GP Co-op based at Newham General Hospital, which was my last job in 2015. A period of poor health followed, and I needed some surgery. I have three children aged fourteen, five and three. My relationship had ended, I was unemployed and looking after my children before I started my training with Release Potential.

How did you find out about the training?
Once my youngest child turned three years of age, I needed to search for and find work. My Work Coach, Timothy told me about the Civil Service course and encouraged me to consider taking part.

Why did you decide to join?
I thought the Civil Service course would help me to gain employment either in a job centre or a magistrate’s court. The course was delivered remotely which offered me the flexibility I needed to help manage the needs of my family.
I enrolled on the Returneeship with Release Potential shortly after completing the Civil Service course. I thought if I did this training too, it would open more employment opportunities for me, and I jumped at the chance!

What did you think of the training? How did it help you?
The training couldn’t have come at a better time. It was perfect for me. My tutors James and Dan kept me at ease, helped me every step of the way and really encouraged me. After a long period out of employment it felt like my mind had gone blank and I didn’t feel ready for work, my relationship had ended, and I was alone at home looking after my children. The course reminded me of what I could do and was a big confidence booster. It was a good feeling to achieve something so positive.
The way the training was delivered encourages you to do your best. It gives the opportunity to bring out of you what you’ve got. There was no excuse not to take part in any activity. All the support, resources, people and equipment were there for me to make the most of.

Were there any barriers or obstacles you had to overcome?
I had not worked since 2015 and after such a gap I didn’t feel ready for work. Finding and securing support for childcare was also a difficulty, but the course flexibility helped me.

What are you doing now?
I’m employed as a People Service Adviser with the Compass Group at the company Head Office in Birmingham. It is an HR role for a nationwide group. My role is to help support the Managers of the smaller companies within the group by providing advice and guidance across a wide range of HR issues such as absences, leaving, starting, training, conduct – everything. There are systems and procedures to follow so the process can be fully completed.

What impact has the training had on your life?
It’s changed my life completely! I never thought I’d get the opportunity to do a corporate job like this again. I had found myself in a difficult situation, but now I’m in a good place where I’m dreaming of bigger and better! I’m enjoying working for a good organisation.

What are your plans for the future?
I would like to work for Compass for a long time. I’m concentrating on completing my current training and performing well. There are opportunities to progress in Compass in terms of roles and training and I’m excited by that.

What would you say to someone who was thinking about doing the training but wasn’t sure?
Don’t think twice, just jump on it! Once I got over my anxiety at the start, I really enjoyed it. Everybody at Release Potential was really helpful. You’ve got nothing to lose. It’s worth trying the training and giving it a real go rather than not doing it at all. It really helped me to get my job…. and I’m still growing the chili plant I won on the course!