EU project bridges the gap between Shirley’s careers

A change of career from the financial services sector to caring for the elderly was always going to need plenty of training, advice and support - but that’s exactly what Shirley Day received thanks to an EU-backed project.

55-year-old Shirley was looking for a change of direction after 30 years in the sector, when she heard about Torfaen Council’s Bridges into Work scheme which helps prepare people for employment.

However, Shirley was unsure whether she had the skills or experience potential employers would want.

That’s when Bridges into Work helped Shirley cross the gap from her old career into a new one with South Wales-based charitable housing association, Hafod Care.

Shirley said:

"Bridges into Work was great for me. I had gone to a jobs fair and found out about opportunities with Hafod Care, but I had no experience of working in care and wasn’t sure whether I had the skills needed.

"Through the project I took a pre-employment care course which gave me support to show me that some of the skills I had from my previous employment were transferrable into care."

Having completed the week-long course, which included first aid and food hygiene training, Shirley was employed by Hafod Care on a part-time basis, providing care to elderly people in their own homes.

Shirley’s hours allowed her to undertake further learning through another European Social Fund-supported project - Adult Skills for Learners. As a result she enrolled on a counselling course at the Life Station in Trevethin.

She has since progressed onto NVQ Level 4 qualification in counselling and has started volunteering with Bridges into Work to offer advice and support to other participants.

The skills gained in her previous career, as well as her new one, have proved invaluable.

Finance Minister Jane Hutt said:

"I am pleased to hear that through our successful investment of EU funds we are helping people achieve their career goals. To date, EU projects have already assisted over 142,000 individuals to gain qualifications and some 50,300 helped into work. In addition, nearly 19,800 (gross) jobs and nearly 6,000 enterprises have been created."

Shirley said:

"It’s so rewarding to help people wanting to get into caring. It’s something I get a lot of enjoyment out of because us carers may be the only ones elderly people see that day. It just feels more worthwhile than what I was doing before."

Bridges into Work has helped more than 3,100 participants into work. It has also supported over 11,250 people to gain qualifications with over 2,240 entering further learning.