| LEARNER INFORMATION |
| Name: |
Caroline Mulvey |
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| Age: |
48 |
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Postcode: L13 3DY
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| How did you find out about the course?
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I first heard about the course from a Households into Work flyer that came through my door
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Course attended
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ICT for Admin |
| What did you enjoy most about the course? |
| One of the things I liked about the course was the way the sessions were all laid out in an organised plan which explained exactly what we would cover in each session. This was very helpful and I could read up about each topic before each class, so I was mentally prepared each week. Also, Bernie the tutor was so knowledgeable we could ask him anything and he’d explain not just how to do it but where, why and when you might use it in the real world or where you might come across it in a real office situation. By putting things into context like this it made far more sense to me, all too often on previous courses or classes, I’d learned things that I’d followed from the instructions in a booklet or a screen, but I’d never really been shown what it was used for in the real word and why it was important to do something a certain way. Having things explained to me like this will help make admin tasks much easier for me as I get back into work and employment. |
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| Did you need any extra support to help you learn? What was it and how did it help you?
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Before I became unemployed I worked as a medical receptionist and I enjoyed my work, talking to people who came to the surgery, booking appointments over the phone and using the computer for basic admin tasks. All of this came easy to me but fifteen years down the line it was as though I’d never done any of those things! I’d totally lost my confidence to speak to people face to face or over the phone, I couldn’t find my way around a computer let alone consider doing any kind of admin using Microsoft Word or Excel.
I was worried about this and it was one of the things that had stopped applying for courses and jobs in the past, so I spoke to Bernie about my lack of confidence at the start of the course and he couldn’t have been more supportive. At the end of each topic and session Bernie would test us on what we had learned, making sure that the important things we’d covered had really sunk in - and then he would go over this personally with me one to one - and this helped me so much. It gave me confidence knowing that I was doing OK, that I could learn new things (even at my age), It reassured me that I was progressing and building on what I was learning week by week. |
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How has this course benefited you? (personal, family, work)
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Through a combination of reasons, I had to give up work 15 years ago and have been unable to consider returning to work until relatively recently. This had led to me totally losing my confidence in social situations and with computers and admin tasks. This course has helped me bounce back to something like my previous self, It’s helped me to regain my confidence talking and mixing with new people, and its reminded me that I actually still know how to use computers and Microsoft Office!
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| What would you say to a friend who is thinking about joining a course? |
I’d tell them that by using the combination of Households into Work and EDT’s course they could fast-track themselves back to work - and that the convenient thing is the course takes place in the city centre in the same building where Households into Work are based (Number 1 Mann Island). I’d also tell them that Bernie the tutor from EDT is great and will be able to help them learn so much and put them at ease right from the start, even if like me they were concerned about going back into a classroom after what feels like a lifetime away from it! |
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What did you achieve?
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The ten-week course (3 hours a week) that I attended at Mann Island was called ICT for Admin – this had been put together by EDT and Households Into Work for people like myself who were long term unemployed. The ICT for Admin course covered all the basic IT skills someone would need to confidently use Word, Excel and Outlook email in an admin or office role. Importantly (for me) they are the skills the civil service say are a must for anyone applying for a civil service admin role, and I’ve made this path in the civil service my employment goal. |
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What is next for you? |
Continuing my journey back to work, when I completed the ICT for Admin course I enrolled on a formal IT course with EDT - ‘The International Certification of Digital Literacy’ (ICDL) - and I was then selected by Households into work to attend an additional two-week course that culminated with an interview for a job with the civil service. Obviously, there was no guarantee I’d get a job with them but because of the courses Id taken, the support I’d had and the digital training I'd received, I knew I was ready for work, I knew I had the skills and confidence to do an admin job – and I’m delighted to say that I got the job! and I’m due to start work with the civil service in a couple of weeks’ time. I couldn’t be happier with the way things have worked for me and couldn’t be happier that the Households into Work flyer came through my door! |
