New qualifications are helping Tiago move towards a fresh start.
Tiago, 33, lives in Newport. After four years in his previous role, he was made redundant unexpectedly and needed to think about his next steps.
He said: “It all happened quite quickly. I didn’t really have time to prepare.”
Tiago wanted to take practical steps to improve his chances of finding work again as soon as possible. He made an appointment with his local Job Centre. There, he found out about funding available through the ReAct+ programme. He contacted Working Wales for advice straight away.
Exploring support
He met with Kris, a careers adviser, to talk through his options.
Tiago explained: “At first, I didn’t really know what support was available. I had a few ideas in mind of what I wanted to do, but I wanted to understand what would give me the best chance of getting back into work.”
During their appointments, they discussed different training routes and which qualifications would lead directly to employment.
Tiago said: “Kris was really helpful. If I had any questions, I would get a quick reply.
“If not for Kris, I probably would still be stuck pulling my hair out looking for a job.”
Choosing the right training
After discussing his options with Kris, he decided to focus on gaining qualifications that would open up new opportunities.
He chose to apply for a Security Industry Authority (SIA) licence to move into the security sector. Alongside this, he enrolled on CCTV operator training to broaden his skills.
Tiago said: “It’s a specialised job, so there’s less competition if you’ve got the right qualifications.”
He added: “This course will open a lot of doors for me.”
Looking ahead
Tiago is due to start his training soon and is feeling positive about the future.
He said: “I’m very excited to start. I’m not the type of person to sit at home and do nothing. This will give me something solid at the end of it. It’s going to make a big difference.”
If you’ve been affected by redundancy, please visit redundancy support or contact us.
Explore
Find out about the redundancy support available to you in Wales. Get help with how to move on from redundancy with confidence.
ReAct+ offers tailored solutions which includes financial support for vocational skills training and training-related expenses to help remove barriers to employment.
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