Lisa was looking for work after being made redundant due to COVID. Expressing an interest in working as a Work Coach, Lisa was told about the training by her own Work Coach as he thought it would help Lisa with her goal. Finding the course beneficial, Lisa found that her confidence was boosted and she now knew how to best focus her time when searching for jobs within the Civil Service! Continue reading to hear Lisa’s full story!

What were you doing before you started the programme?
Before starting I was unemployed after being made redundant due to COVID. I have 3 school age children.

How did you find out about the training?
My work coach Surinder Doal from the Solihull Job Centre told me about the training after I’d expressed an interest in his role. He indicated this was something the course would give me an insight into how to apply for this type of role and others in the Civil Service.

Why did you decide to join?
I liked the sound of the Work Coach role and the ability to work part time and fit in with family commitments was very appealing.

What did you think of the training? How did it help you?
Training was really good and gave me lots of confidence. I liked the teaching around the STAR and GROW methodology which I wasn’t aware of before. I learnt loads about how to link my learning into Civil Service applications and also began to understand the difference between behaviour statements and personal profiles which I thought before the course were the same thing.

What are you doing now?
I’ve secured a role as a Catering Manager in a school which offers term time hours so fits in perfectly with family life.

What impact has the training had on your life?
The training has massively boosted my confidence and given a much better understanding of what to focus on and how to apply effectively for jobs.

What are your plans for the future?
I’m going to continue in this role while my children are young because of the great flexibility of term time. Once this isn’t the case I want to focus on Civil Service roles again – specifically on Immigration if possible.

What would you say to someone who was thinking about doing the training but wasn’t sure?
Go for it? Why not? You’ve nothing to lose and only new things to gain.