I had been unemployed since March 2020 and wanted to use my free time productively especially if it meant gaining new skills and qualifications that would boost my CV.

I come from an Events Management background and have an Events Management degree so it’s all I knew, and most recently I was a conference planner. The prospect of having to change my career path was a real possibility. I did feel slightly deflated at the beginning as everything was looking uncertain with the events sector and the level of competition for the newly made virtual event management jobs was fierce.

I took the Employability course with Antonia in September 2020 and then decided to enrol straight after that onto the Awareness of Mental Health home-based learning course.

The Employability course was in line with trying to apply for the DWP Work Coach position as the 1 week virtual interactive course would be focused on learning the different aspects of the requirements for the interview process and also about how to get work ready in general in today’s market. I had recently signed up to be a Champion for the MIND charity and had always been passionate about the subject of Mental Health. The Awareness of Mental Health home-based learning course was perfect for me as I wanted to learn more about the subject that is also very prevalent and current during the pandemic.

The best part of taking a Strive course was how enthusiastic and helpful Antonia and the rest of the Strive staff were throughout the whole process. The fact that the Employability course was classroom based really did make it so interactive and I am grateful to have had that experience. The courses were also fully funded which took the stress away from signing up to something unfamiliar or costly at such an uncertain time.

I was used to occasionally working from home however, I did feel a bit apprehensive as to what to expect from something so unknown.

My second course was home based learning and I had easy access to the resources at all times of the day so I could get on with it in my own free time. I also did not need to contact the tutor at any stage as I was able to easily answer the questions and submit for reviewing within the system directly.

I would 100% recommend Strive Training if you are unsure about where your career path is headed, if you have the free time to gain a new qualification and are just curious about learning new skills and keeping busy whilst unemployed. It is also a great motivating feeling once you have completed a course and gained a new qualification!

After completing the courses, I felt positive about continuing my job search and about the prospect of having to change my career path at least on a temporary basis. I had learnt new skills when approaching and searching for jobs and also in regards to making my CV stand out.

My second course also made me personally more aware about mental health issues and about dealing with my own stress and anxieties during this pandemic and those around me. So this was great at gaining further understanding in order to help others around me and those effected by the pandemic especially.

I started a new role in January 2021 as an Employment Advisor and did decide to step away from the Event sector ‘at least for now’, and I do feel that Strive Training and their staff members were a part of my journey to this. Even though I ended up sourcing and securing the role outside of their service it was a great decision to enrol and I do thank them for all their support so far.