Ken self-referred himself to Conwy Employment Hub in late January 2024 after taking voluntary redundancy from working in the quarries for over 30 years. As he was getting older he was finding the role getting very challenging, so felt it was time for a complete career change but needed support to help him find that new dream job.
Once the referral was processed, Lorraine was appointed to be Ken’s mentor and the pair had their first meeting within days. Having worked all his life, Ken was very keen to get back into employment as soon as possible and had been very proactive in researching career opportunities and signing himself up to relevant training courses including the Hub’s CCTV Operator Training (Public Space Surveillance) course which is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and applying for training to become a Self-Employed Driving Instructor with support from Careers Wales and their ReAct funding which is available to people who have been made redundant.
Ken successfully completed the four day CCTV course but was advised by Lorraine to continue his training to gain a SIA Licence as this would be of additional benefit when looking for a job which he agreed to do. And within three weeks, he had not only passed the CCTV course but also the SIA Door Supervisors course and both with flying colours. The two courses were run by the Hub and facilitated by ALG Security in Colwyn Bay and they included the opportunity for participants to meet with local employers which proved beneficial to Ken as he made some excellent connections.
The next step for Ken and Lorraine was to create his CV and having never been unemployed they were starting from scratch so it was imperative that all of Ken’s skills were highlighted as well as his exceptional work ethic. During this time Ken also successfully passed the first part of his Driving Instructor training which was the theory element and started having practical lessons with an instructor.
With these qualifications, Ken was job ready so with Lorraine they researched local security / CCTV companies and Lorraine introduced him to Alice, the Hub’s Employment Engagement Officer who made a couple of connections for Ken with local employers. Very quickly he was invited to an interview with a local security company and in preparation, he was put through some mock interview training with Lorraine and Alice. The interview went very well and he was offered work which would start as soon as his SIA Licence certificate was received.
In the meantime Ken started doing some shifts for another company covering various venues, including driving for a local TV company, using his CCTV training working night shifts at a local homeless accommodation, and also covering local tourism/leisure sites. All of these gave Ken the opportunity to experience a variety of roles and sites so he could make an informed decision about the route he wanted to take.
It wasn’t long before Ken started work in a full time role which gave him an excellent work life balance as he would be working four x 12 hour night shifts, with four days off to enable him to continue his driving lessons and spend time with his young daughter.
Lorraine kept in touch with Ken and was delighted to hear that he was enjoying the job and very grateful for the Hub’s help, support and guidance:
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and Alice for all you support over the last few months since becoming unemployed. Having always been in employment since leaving school and suddenly being unemployed, I don’t know how I would have got through this time without the support from Conwy Employment Hub. The training, support, advice and guidance including help with my CV and interview techniques has now secured me in full time employment in a new exiting career in security. As I am now off the books I can only thank you once again and without the Conwy Employment Hub funding I would still be on universal credit.”
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