Ernie came to us after being made redundant from the caravan industry.

He had seen advertisements on TV for Learndirect and living in the Hessle Road area, had wandered past The UK Online centre on Hessle Road a number of times. He remembered seeing Learndirect posters in the window and so popped in to enquire about what we could offer.

Ernie knew right at the start that he wanted a change in career but was unsure which direction to go in.  He wanted to move away from a manual job to something more office-based such as administration or  accountancy.

Ernie started off with working towards numeracy level 2 and passed his national test with flying colours! He then moved on to work towards level 1 in literacy and then went on to achieve his national test in adult literacy, level 2.

A couple of months into his learning, Ernie had an information, advice and guidance session with James Shaw at The Goodwin Centre, Icehouse Road and discussed the Local Work Guarantee  Scheme. This would involve a paid work placement for thirteen weeks in a specific occupational area. Whilst developing the much-needed skills to gain sustainable employment.

Ernie discussed the possibility of becoming a Tutor  Support Worker. The more time he had spent in a learning environment, the more he came to enjoy it . He started his placement as a Trainee Tutor Support Worker at UK Online, Hessle Road, in September.

He began to learn the role and develop his skills, he attended employability workshops and undertook training courses such as presentation skills as well as starting an NVQ in Business Administration after gaining a good grasp of the skills and knowledge needed to demonstrate competency in this area.

A position arose for a Tutor Support Worker within Goodwin Training Services in October. Ernie requested an application form and got to work completing it. He successfully gained an interview in November and was successful in securing the position!

Ernie says: ‘Since I walked into GTS, I have enjoyed every moment. I‘ve achieved my level 2 literacy and numeracy, everyone has helped me with all of my needs and couldn’t do enough for me. I have gone down a new career route which has paid-off for me. I’m just an average Joe, who was made redundant and wanted to go back to learning. My new job is as a Tutor Support Worker and I am loving every minute of it. I am on cloud nine and so proud to be part of a great team.’

Ernie Hill sat at desk

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