Vicky was looking to return to the workplace after a 5 year gap to look after her son. Feeling less than confident but with high hopes she was referred to the GRoW Programme from her local Job Centre and is now about to start a fantastic new role.
Vicky said “Even though I had a good job before I stopped work to look after my son I had lost a lot of confidence and was quite apprehensive about the prospect of returning to work.
Before I went on Universal Credit I was seeing Job Coaches but was getting a little frustrated with the type of job roles I was being sent to. I also had a massive gap on my CV but, despite this, I still felt I had enough experience and knowledge to aim for the type of job I really wanted rather than to settle for something less.
When my son started school in September I began to put the feelers out and the Job Centre referred me to GRoW. The GRoW Programme helped me so much. It boosted my confidence more than anything else as it helped me to see what I could achieve. I underwent the Key Skills Course and we looked at a five-year plan and interview skills. This really helped me as I hadn’t interviewed in 6 years and was so out of practice.
It was when I had my first session with Mercedes from GRoW that things really changed my outlook. She really made me think I could be so much more than just a mum and I should aim high. I was feeling down on my luck, especially after completing 37 job applications, looking for work 25 hours a week and just applying for any jobs, even jobs I didn’t really want! I had lost myself a bit through not working but the GRoW Programme gave me back my self esteem and self worth and made me feel so much more positive than I had for a long time.
I began looking for jobs and found a really good position on the NHS website. My previous job had been as an Airport Operations Manager so I was looking for a fairly senior role with a degree of responsibility. The primary point though was that the job needed to be flexible because I’m a single parent.
I applied for the job and on the day of my interview I rang Liz as I was so nervous. She really helped me through it though and I got the job! I am going to be working on a Job Share basis in a full time role in the Training Department for the Hillingdon Primary Care Group, helping to find placements for medical students.
I can’t rate the GRoW Programme highly enough. Without it I don’t think I would have had the confidence to apply for more senior roles and I wouldn’t be where I am now, I feel so lucky.