Aurelija joined the GRoW Programme in October 2020 having been referred from her Jobcentre after a house move to a new location resulted in her having to cease trading on her business. Aurelija has applied for a new post as an NHS Covid-19 Vaccine Administrator.
Aurelija said “I had been running my own personal training business for quite a few years but when the pandemic hit and I moved to a different part of London I lost all of my contacts and support networks. I’m a single parent to two children and was trying to deal with all of the issues around my relocation as well as the loss of my job and I was beginning to feel quite overwhelmed.
My work coach at my local Jobcentre put me in touch with GRoW and at first I was sceptical, thinking I was going to be put under more pressure and feel even more overloaded but I couldn’t have been more wrong. As soon as I contacted GRoW everything moved so fast, they quickly got all the information they needed from me to join the programme and I was invited to join their Coffee Morning. I attended their online GRoW Workshops where they helped me to rework my CV and it really helped to build my confidence. I would recommend the GRoW Programme to anyone, it is such an eye opener. Even though I am a person who is open to new opportunities and ideas I can also feel quite insecure and hesitant about taking the steps to learn something new. On the GRoW Programme I learned so many new things and made great connections personally and professionally; I feel like it has opened doors for me. What I realise now is that it doesn’t matter where I live, I can take on new challenges, address them head on and achieve great things!
GRoW referred me as a suitable candidate for an NHS Covid-19 Vaccination Administrator job which really appealed to me. Even though I eventually want to start up my business again, in the meantime I really feel I want to do something different. As part of the application I was required to undertake an NWL Administration Covid-19 Vaccine Hub Support training course which comprises 11 modules encompassing Conflict Resolution, Data Security Awareness, Equality and Diversity and Human Rights, Fire Safety, Infection Prevention and Control, Health, Safety and Welfare, Moving and Handling, Preventing Radicalisation, Safeguarding Adult, Safeguarding Children and Resuscitation. I completed the course in one day and achieved a 94.97% pass rate which, for someone who does not speak English as their first language, I feel is quite an achievement!
My GRoW adviser helped me with the application, working on the CV with me and I was really pleased to be put forward for the opportunity of being part of the Covid response. The job will entail collecting and retrieving data from patients and the course I have undertaken is a combination of Level 1 and 2. I am really proud of achieving the certificate and am looking forward to hearing more details about the job.”