John struggled at secondary school due to commitments at home. When John’s father fell ill he became his full time carer and so school became a second priority. John left school with no qualifications and little confidence as a result.

John was referred to Care Training by his Jobcentre Plus Adviser. He was keen to develop the skills he learned whilst caring for his father and so was placed on the New Deal Care Course. He was aware that he needed to complete other qualifications to supplement the Care training he was receiving. John says, “I didn’t have my English or maths when I came to Care Training and I knew this would be a real barrier to me getting a job, but the staff were really helpful and didn’t make me feel like I didn’t know anything. Instead they empowered me and gave me the tools and support I needed to start studying English and maths. If you don’t have those qualifications you will struggle with any work or training as they are the basis for everything. I found lots of other people in a similar situation to me so we all helped each other along.”

During his time at Care Training John achieved qualifications in Health & Safety, Moving and Handling and First Aid. Over a period of time he achieved his Levels 1 and 2 in Adult Literacy and Numeracy and completed the Care Course. He now has a stable placement working with a client group he really enjoys. Due to his success in his placement John is now working towards completing an NVQ Level 2 in Health & Social Care with Care Training.

John says, “Before I came to Care Training I was afraid of learning environments and taking tests because I missed so much school. I thought it might be a bit like going back to school actually, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. All the staff were so friendly and didn’t treat me like a child, they established what support I needed and reacted on that instead of telling me what they thought I should be doing. They really took the time to help me out in the areas I needed extra support. The best part was that I could study a number of qualifications at one time, so I could get my English and maths as well as studying Care. I feel much more confident than before, I have higher self-esteem and am sure I can go on to pass more qualifications.”

Care Training say, “John is a fantastic achiever and has really surpassed our expectations. His dedication and perseverance is admired by all the staff here, we expect he will be very successful in the future.”

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