Success Stories: Karen Reid

I learnt how to engage with others in a team and regain my confidence.
Karen Reid

Karen Reid, 54, from Croydon was made redundant in November 2015 after having worked in her position for eight years. She decided to complete an IT course with CALAT whilst looking for employment and was then offered a job in May 2016.

However, Karen found that her new management were unwilling to provide adequate training and she was unfortunately let go in her third week of employment- more than two months before the end of her probationary period. Karen was forced to return to the Jobcentre and reapply for JSA, but it was here that she was invited to the pop-up recruitment event where she first made contact with learndirect.

Karen was immediately booked in for an initial assessment at the learndirect centre in Croydon and subsequently enrolled onto the Employability course, which she successfully completed. Following this, she also undertook Customer Care and Hospitality courses, where she studied a variety of modules such as how to deal effectively with customer complaints and how to manage health & safety in the hospitality industry.

Karen has now been offered a full-time job with the NHS and believes that her new and improved skills have greatly enhanced her performance during interviews.

Reflecting on her experience with learndirect Karen says:

I found all the staff that I came across very helpful. The tutors were very knowledgeable and I learnt how to engage with others in a team and regain my confidence by speaking out in front of the class, which is something I was not confident in doing before. I would recommend learndirect to others- they help broaden your horizons.