Blog

100 Women Speak

Posted on by Liz Sewell

We asked 100 Women on the GRoW programme what Lockdown had meant for them and how it will affect their return to work.

All are long term unemployed mothers looking to go back to work

  • Half said that lockdown had actually improved their confidence.
    Only 22 said they had lost confidence
  • 46 said They were more likely to work because of Lockdown
    Only 26 said they were less likely to work
  • A quarter now wanted to work from home
  • A third had Improved their I.T. SKILLS during Lockdown
  • 34 had decided to embark on a new career
  • 46 said lockdown was a positive experience for them and their Families,
    whilst 18 said it was very difficult.
  • Childcare is still seen as the biggest barrier to work
    but 61 felt it was still too early to open schools

Liz Sewell, Director of the GRoW Programme said at the launch GRoW Coffee Morning Zoom:

This survey shows that Lockdown has been a turning point for many women, and that they want to look at how they can get back to work and have more flexible ways of working. Many want to start training now. GRoW has established an online community and the lockdown online training programme to help them move forward

Download the results here

100 Women Speak – the GRoW Lockdown Survey

#EmpDay20

 

 

 

 

 

Luz’s Lockdown Learning

Posted on by heathercette

Luz was introduced to the GRoW Programme through the Canning Town Job Centre as she was looking for work after leaving her job of 6 years. 

Luz said “I had been working as a Cleaning Manager which was very good experience for me and a challenge that I really enjoyed but at the same time I was thinking about doing something different with my life.  I went to one face-to-face GRoW session but then Lockdown happened and so I continued the programme online.   I am really enjoying being part of the GRoW Programme and you can see all the other ladies on the Programme are enjoying it too by the way they express themselves.  We all feel we are growing through the experience.

I am now doing the Daily Steps ESOL Course which is part of the GRoW Lockdown Training Programme.  It’s a great course and very easy to do.  The course director Jane was the guest at the GRoW coffee morning last week and I got to meet her in person which was great.

I am currently doing the Level 3 ESOL Course but then I plan to do the Level 4 and 5.  What’s great about the ESOL course is that there are lots of blogs and information from Jane on the course that help to guide you through the process and keep you on track of what you need to do.  After I do the ESOL courses I am looking at doing the GRoW Your Own Business Course with Mercedes Grant and I have been speaking to Liz about possibly doing a children and young people qualification too.  Even though I already have a qualification in this area I think it would be good to do a refresh as I am really interested in working with children, perhaps in a Playgroup setting.

It’s been really good getting support from the GRoW Team, Liz, Mercedes and Saeema have been particularly helpful and they have such energy and drive which motivates me to keep doing better.  They have given me so much confidence as they make you realise what you have to offer.  Sometimes women don’t understand the skills and experiences they have gained in life and how this can be transferred to the workplace, GRoW really helps you be the best you can be.”

Saida prepares for work with a GRoW Lockdown Training Course

Posted on by heathercette

Saida is on our GRoW Programme and is currently undertaking a GRoW Lockdown Training Course – Caring for Children and Young People Level 2.

Saida said “I am so happy to be part of the GRoW Programme, so much so that I am telling all my friends to join as I think it would really help them.

Being part of GRoW is so helpful for people like me that are looking to get back to work.    Anyone who wants to boost their confidence levels should join this programme because they can get help with getting a job and practical things like cv writing.  I worked before I came to this country but I had to stop because I am a single mum and it is difficult with a baby and not much support.  I was worried that having no experience in the UK would set me back when I am ready to work again but the GRoW Programme can help with things like references too.  Another thing I am taking advantage of during lockdown is by using the time to do an online course – Caring for Children and Young People Level 2.  I am interested in working with children particularly as I think this would be a good way of being able to work around my daughter, either by becoming a Childminder or working in a school where I can do term-time only hours.

It’s hard to manage everything by myself, caring for my baby by myself and doing everything on my own but doing this online course is making me feel more positive and confident about my future, it’s really giving me a lift. I may not be able to work for the next two years or so until my daughter is older but there’s nothing stopping me preparing myself now for when I am ready.  If I can I will try to do more courses.

Preparing myself for work is giving me confidence and making me feel more confident.  If I can do it then anyone can do it, you just need support and that is what I am getting from GRoW – they really motivate me!

As well as the online course I am also doing the GRoW your own Business Course with Mercedes Grant. It is really making me think and I am getting some ideas of work I could do for myself.  Mercedes is always there to give me advice too which is just great.

I am really pleased to be GRoW’s facebook winner this week and really pleased to be part of the Programme.

 

 

 

Laura gets ready for work through GRoW Lockdown Programme

Posted on by heathercette

Laura came to the GRoW Programme looking for help to get back to work and has now completed two courses and is interested in more training to equip her for the world of work during Covid-19.

Laura said “I first learned about the GRoW Programme following a visit to Barra Hall Children’s Centre in Hillingdon.  I was looking to get back to work after having my daughter and a GRoW leaflet at the Childrens Centre explained they could offer me help and advice.

I attended two GRoW sessions in Hayes and found out about opportunities to undertake  education and training that would help me get the kind of work I was looking for.  Because my daughter is only one I am only really interested in part-time work, particularly work I can do from home.  I am quite a motivated person but I found I just needed the right advice about where to go and what to do.  I found the GRoW Programme were really able to point me in the right direction and Liz and Tosin were always on hand to give me help and support if I needed it.  I attended the Uxbridge Jobs Fair and there was a lot of information available there that helped me understand the type of training and qualifications I would need to get in order to get the types of jobs I wanted.

Before I had my daughter I used to work in a Nursery and so I decided to do a Childminding Course at the Adult Learning Centre and I also signed up for the GRoW Lockdown Programme online training course.  I chose to do the Food and Hygiene Course and have now completed both courses which are really important if you want to work with children.

The GRoW Lockdown Food and Hygiene Course was really good to do.  As it is all done online it is easy to stop and start when you want which was really important for me as I needed to work around my daughter.

With everything going on now with Covid-19 I am considering telemarketing jobs as there seems to be quite a few jobs available in this area of work.  You can work from home which is perfect for me with a baby at home.  Tosin has updated my cv for me and I get the GRoW Job Bulletin every week which I find really useful.  She has told me that if I do need any help and advice I can contact her anytime which is so good to know.

I am quite a motivated person but being part of the GRoW Programme has really helped me as they have given me the tools to go out and look for what I want.

The next step for me now is to look at doing the GRoW Lockdown Programme Call Centre Handling course as I really think that will really help me get a job in the current climate.“

ESOL Training with DailyStep English

Posted on by heathercette

by Jane Lawson, Director, DailyStep English Training

DailyStep English is a London–based English training company providing online courses and daily online lessons at all levels of English. DailyStep English Lessons are inspected and accredited by the Continuing Professional Development Service (CPD) so you can add a DailyStep English certificate to your CV.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. This is the concept behind DailyStep lessons – one step each day leads to major progress over time. Our students learn to speak and understand a small amount of English perfectly every day, as well as absorbing the vocabulary, idioms, phrasal verbs, grammar structures, style and pronunciation patterns contained in each lesson.  The fact that the lessons are not too long and therefore not daunting is a major factor in motivating users to continue with them. Learning to speak at the same speed, pronunciation and tone as native speakers greatly improves listening comprehension skills as well as fluency and confidence when speaking.

What will you learn?
DailyStep lessons directly reflect the language issues that English learners consistently find difficult. Specific problem areas addressed in the audio lessons include:

  • Initiating and sustaining a conversation
  • Speaking fluently and with confidence
  • Sounding professional and friendly in English
  • Understanding fast idiomatic speech
  • Explaining, clarifying and rephrasing
  • Business meeting skills
  • Presentation skills
  • English telephone skills
  • Colloquial English where words are omitted
  • Short answers involving auxiliary verbs
  • Pronunciation, intonation and speech rhythm
  • Phrasal verbs and idioms
  • Speech techniques such as irony, understatement and exaggeration
  • Broken, non-grammatical sentences such as are used in everyday speech
  • Using and understanding humour
  • Cultural issues
  • IELTS and other exam skills
  • Appropriate use of formal and informal styles

Benefits of using DailyStep Lessons include:

  • Improved interaction with neighbours, colleagues and clients
  • Improved speaking and comprehension skills for business situations such as meetings, negotiation, giving presentations and using the telephone
  • More active participation in any kind of discussion
  • A developing ability to think in English
  • Expanded range of active vocabulary, idioms and phrasal verbs
  • Better speaking and comprehension skills for social situations with friends, colleagues and neighbours
  • Higher confidence levels when using English
  • Improved ability to make and sustain conversation and therefore to make friends
  • Better understanding of how to deal with a range of situations for life in the UK, e.g. dealing with shops and restaurants, schools, utilities companies, neighbours, tradesmen etc.

What is a DailyStep Lesson?
DailyStep English lessons are in both British and American English, allowing users to choose the accent they speak, and learn to understand both accents. Each lesson consists of a written dialogue, 2 audio recordings of the dialogue (both British and American English, so with some language changes) and notes on style, vocabulary, intonation, functions and grammar.
The method is simple and easy to learn. Here is a video showing how to use a DailyStep Lesson:
https://www.dailystep.com/lesson/how-to-use-level-3
DailyStep members also have access to an archive of audio grammar lessons, IELTS practice lessons, pronunciation tips and other learning materials.

How to access DailyStep Lessons
You can access DailyStep lessons by mobile app, by hyperlinks in emails, or directly by logging in to our website. The app and email notifications mean that so there is no chance to forget to take the lesson. You can download PDF and MP3 files of each lesson for offline use.

Every user has a Personal Lesson Bank, which records how many times each lesson has been completed. You can log in any time to catch up on missed lessons, download lessons or repeat lessons as required, even after your subscription expires.

If you would like to undertake a Daily Step English Lesson first contact the GRoW Team on info@belinagrow.co.uk and we will be in touch.

About
Jane Lawson is an English teacher with over 20 years’ experience. Jane developed the DailyStep method to address the problems faced by busy English learners living and working in the UK.

Do you need extra help during Lockdown to get ready for work?

Posted on by Liz Sewell

New GRoW Lockdown Online Training 

As lockdown continues we are all looking for ways to better use the time available.
This new programme is specially designed for busy mums who want to get back to work or start new training after lockdown.
All of this can be done on your smart phone.
20 spaces available 

Our offer

  • Three free online courses worth £75 – ranging from including ESOL  food & hygiene, IT and intros to lots of types of work.
  • £10 a month, for three months, to  help towards data costs for courses
  • A mentor to work with you online during lockdown, and afterwards
  • A CV that includes the skills learnt in lockdown
  • Online GRoW support group
  • Weekly email newsletter with a part-time jobs board to support work life balance

Who can join

  • Our funding is for mothers who live in London and are not working.
  • You mush have the right to work in the UK and an NI number.
  • If you are on benefits we will need to know which benefits.
This is an ESF funded programme and so only open to people not already on an ESF project
If you are already on a GRoW programme talk to your adviser about our existing on-line training support.
For more information please fill in the form below.

Shaking off the frustration of Lockdown

Posted on by heathercette

by Tosin Beckley, Employment First Officer – GRoW Programme

As the weeks go by I feel that I am starting to feel a little bit out of it. I almost want to scream at the top of my lungs just to shake off the frustration that is starting to build up inside me….

I just sometimes wonder if i didn’t have my nuclear family around me and if I was actually living alone (and I mean all by myself), how on earth would i cope????

I wish I could be a fly on the wall just to check on how people are living during these uncertain times, what could they be going through and what would be running through their minds?

Would I be able to cope at all if i was living by myself???

I have to be honest with myself, this lockdown is really starting to affect me emotionally, mentally and physically – I feel like my head is all over the place and there is nothing I can do about it….

I am thankful and grateful to be working and to be able to work from home however the feeling of no motivation or drive creeps in and I do ‘allow’ it to take complete control over me which is not good but at the same time I know I can beat it……having positive thoughts is definitely a good thing but when the negative comes in to play i ask why does it have such a strong hold on me or other people out there???

Gosh, I really miss going out, I miss socialising, obviously I miss my family and my close friends but I just miss the high street of Ealing, Uxbridge, Hayes!

Gemma starts a Level 2 Accredited Programme with GRoW

Posted on by heathercette

GRoW participant Gemma joined the programme following traumatic home circumstances which saw her having to uproot and move home with her young son a number of times.  Her local job centre adviser recommended the GRoW programme to help her prepare for finding a job and Gemma is now on the way to achieving a Level 2 qualification in Childcare.

Gemma said “I’m not always great at asking for help even if I really need it.  That’s one of the areas GRoW has been able to help me because they make a point of keeping in touch to make sure I know support is always available.  They have been really good at helping me with the things I struggle with such as job application forms. Tosin has been a great help as far as that is concerned.

When my son was very young I did have a job but because my home life was quite unstable it was difficult to manage the caring responsibilities and so I wasn’t able to continue.  That didn’t mean I didn’t want to work, it is something I really wanted to do and in fact I did recently have an interview for a mid-day supervisor job at a local school but unfortunately lockdown came into play and the job was put on hold.  I am still hopeful that I will be successful and will be able to start the job when schools re-open.

In the meantime I want to improve my employability skills as much as possible and GRoW’s Lockdown Training Programme is the perfect opportunity to do this, especially as I can do the whole course online in a flexible way that fits around homeschooling and entertaining my son while his school is closed.

I chose to do the Level 2 Qualification in Childcare and Education because I would really like to get a job in a school as a teaching assistant as the term-time working would be ideal for me to fit around caring for my son.  I already have a Level 1 BTEC Introductory Diploma in Sports (for which I achieved a distinction) and I also did the Level 3 National Certificate in Sports when I was at college.  To get a job in a school though it would be really helpful to gain a qualification specifically around caring for children and young people. I have seen quite a few jobs advertised for PE Teaching Assistants which would be perfect for me but because I don’t have the relevant qualifications I haven’t been successful in applying.

I am finding the Level 2 course really quite easy to do. I tend to do more work in the evening when my son is calmer.   I have a dedicated tutor to help me through the course and she recommended I work 3 hours a day.  This would mean that I could effectively complete the course in 5 to 6 weeks rather than the 10 week period that is allocated for it. I’ve almost finished my first assessment which is due this Friday and I’m on schedule to complete the course by 28th July.

The course is all online and if I get interrupted I can easily just stop and pick up from where I left off.  I find having a pad and pen to take notes while I read through the course the best way to do it as I then have everything I need when it comes to completing the assessment at the end of each module.

I am really excited about gaining this qualification as I feel that it will really equip me and stand me in good stead for when schools reopen hopefully in September.  I anticipate that schools will likely need more staff to help children catch up on what they have missed over this lockdown period and with my new qualification I will have so much more to offer them.

 

 

Week #8 of Lockdown and Counting

Posted on by heathercette

by Heather Ette, GRoW Team Member

So as we enter Week #8 of Lockdown I thought I would share some of the ups and downs this period has shown me.  I hadn’t really expected Lockdown to affect me as much as it would most people because I didn’t think much would really change for me. 

I have been working from home permanently for the past 15 years now and am therefore used to being indoors most of the time, most days only really leaving the house to drive the kids to school and pick them up again.  I thought this would mean that Lockdown would be a breeze but actually I was wrong and this week it really does seem to be taking its toll.

I can’t quite put my finger on what is bothering me the most.  Is it the tediousness of staring at the same four walls or is it that weekdays are blending into weekends and in fact now being one and the same thing with nothing much to look forward to at the end of the week?  I was waiting with baited breath to hear Boris’s announcement on Sunday evening to find out how restrictions might be lifted and get some hope of some return to normality.  This is despite knowing that the only sensible thing is to continue to stay at home if we are to save lives.  I suppose it is natural to want to get back to the way we lived before but we all know that this is not something we can do anytime soon.  I didn’t think I would actually miss the school run but in fact I realise I do!  I also never realised how important it was to me to be able to walk around a supermarket at my leisure, being able to walk in whichever direction I liked!

I have felt better the past few days since the government announcement that we can now meet up with one other person from outside of our household.  It’s nice to know I can have some company on my dog walk and I’m sure my dog will be delighted too to see her little doggy friends again.

I think it’s so important during this time to try to look after your mental health.  It’s hard not seeing your family and friends and being stuck indoors.  It’s hard to try to homeschool your children, especially if they are not doing as much school work as they are supposed to be doing and especially if, like me, you constantly worry about how they will catch up when they finally return to school.

I’m having to remind myself that I can only do so much. I’m continuing to work every day, I’m continuing to cook and try to make healthy meals. I’m phoning and video calling my family and friends, checking in with people to make sure they are OK.  I’m outwardly remaining upbeat, positive and calm to keep anxiety levels low and in all of those things I think I’m doing a pretty good job.

How are you doing?

 

Shabita Shrestha: In Lockdown but learning with GRoW

Posted on by heathercette

Before the Lockdown, I joined the GRoW Programme. As a mother of two from Nepal I wanted to be part of a group near my home where I could share my experience and learn about work with other women.

I attended some sessions held at my children’s local school but due to the lockdown I was unable to engage in  group sessions, but that didn’t stop there. I stayed with GRoW and I am making the most of it, my English is not good but I don’t let that stop me from doing things.

I recently registered on the GRoW Lockdown Programme to do the online training courses through GRoW.  As I have a passion for being with people I would like to work in retail but having no experience, I decided to do the Customer Care and Retail Value skills course. It’s well structured and I am enjoying every moment of it. The best thing about these online courses is that you can do it when you’ve got the time which is a bonus. I have learnt so much about retail and when the time is right will use this to move forward into work with the help of the GRoW Team.

For those who have not yet registered on the Online courses i would recommend it, try new things – they are short and very informative.

I also started the GRoW Your Own Business (GYOB) Zoom sessions with Mercedes Grant as I would like to start my own business in the future and feel now is the time to start planning. It was fun using Zoom. It was my first time and it’s very easy to follow, it was a great session as it is always nice not only to learn but to listen to others.

I am taking part in all the sessions GRoW is offering, making the most of it. It’s  very important that during Lockdown , we as mums make time for ourselves (I Know with kids it’s not easy)  and this is the time to think about the future. Having these online training programmes helps.

Being with GRoW you realise there is a world out there for everyone. It’s all about taking the right steps with the help of GRoW who are very helpful, fun and most of all my friends.  My motivation and confidence has grown in such a short time.

I enjoy being with them especially during the Lockdown and I am happy I joined in time.  I would recommend GRoW to others. I know it’s not easy to come out, it is challenging but I have done it and it’s an achievement for me.