Joanne Commons, 24, from Coalville had been out of work for nearly a year after having her son.
After applying for jobs but not getting anywhere she realised she needed to gain some qualifications to help her get back into work. After completing maths and English qualifications with learndirect and gaining invaluable advice on how to improve her workplace skills, Joanne is back in employment as a classroom assistant. Joanne said: “I left work to have my son and was finding it really difficult to find another job. I realised I needed to get some qualifications and after going to Jobcentre Plus I was advised by a Next
Step advisor to go to the Amethyst learndirect centre in Coalville.
“I’d only had simple jobs in the past like admin and packing roles and I really wanted to further myself. I’d done ok at school but I messed around a lot and it wasn’t until I left school I realised how important qualifications were.
“I knew I had it in me, I just needed the qualifications to prove it. I was a bit apprehensive about
going to the centre and didn’t have much confidence but after a few days I loved it, thanks to the dedication and support I received from the staff at learndirect.
“I could work at my own pace and the staff were so supportive. I spent most of my time in the centre because I enjoyed it so much but I could also do a bit of learning at home in the evenings if I wanted to.
“As well as doing my maths and English qualifications I also took a course to help me improve my workplace skills. The learndirect staff suggested I do this when I arrived at the centre but at first I didn’t think it was something I needed to improve.
“However, I soon realised I could benefit from brushing up on these skills and in the end it was so helpful it was unreal. Because I’m young I didn’t have a lot of experience with job interviews and I realised I’d been asking all the wrong questions in the interviews I’d had. They also helped me sort out my CV.
“I enjoyed my time at learn direct so much I asked if I could do some volunteering at the centre and this lead to me being offered a job as a classroom assistant. I’m now doing further qualifications so I can hopefully progress to being a tutor.
“I’ve always wanted to have a job where I can help people so I’m really pleased with where I’ve got to. I’d recommend learn direct to anyone with low confidence who wants to gain more qualifications. It really sorted me out and gave me the boost I needed to not only to improve my skills and confidence but also my life as a whole.”
