For the past 29 years I was able to transition from one job to the next without any issue, I have never had to go to a Job Centre before. I was made redundant in April 2020 and started looking for job opportunities but was unsuccessful in securing a job.

I went to a Job Centre October and was told by my/a work coach that I was eligible for job seekers allowance. I was then helped to register for the employability training course at Strive.

I took the Employability course at Strive, as recommended by my Work Coach.

Learning remotely was not an issue at all as I had previously worked in the IT industry. I have always worked remotely, so this method of learning was really easy for me.

Taking a Strive course was a really valuable experience. I was able to gear myself to successfully apply for a Work Coach role. Strive gave me so much support, I was equipped with the all the appropriate knowledge to successfully fill out applications and be confident at having any interview.

I was completely prepared to apply for a job because of Strive, there were no surprises. I could relate to the material and it really helped me succeed.

Another great benefit of attending a Strive course was meeting people on my course (albeit virtually). We shared knowledge, experiences and information and really bonded. Although we were from different backgrounds, we were like a family for that week.

It was really positive experience!

Before attending my Strive course I was sending about 30 applications a day but tried to remain upbeat.

I was not getting much feedback and started to feel concerned. I knew my strengths and weaknesses and kept reminding myself not to take it personally and to keep going. I reminded myself that I have been success and remembered the good things said about me from before. I also kept my focus on moving forward and did not get down about the rejections and no feedback.

I accepted the fact that it is an unprecedented time, redundancies are happening everywhere, and I tried to think of new things, learn new skills and reflect.

Thanks to Strive, this is what I did when a Work Coach role came up – it was a completely new direction for me, but I was positive and felt encouraged to go out of my comfort zone.

I would highly recommend Strive Training to others it was a game changer for me.

Thank you Strive!