Hear from one of our happy participants

Hear from one of our happy participants

Here at the People Hub, we have been busy helping people in Cornwall get the qualifications they need to progress or change their career. The Skills for Growth project also supports people who are facing redundancy. Our connectors not only have great listening skills but a wealth of knowledge of what’s available out there for you in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. We’re here to help you and we listen to your needs.

Below, you can read about how the People Hub helped Samantha with her confidence when facing redundancy and funded her APMG Change Management course so that she can now take the next step in her career. It could be you next!

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? What has been the kind of work you have done?

I’ve worked for the local authority for 20 years, managing business support and financial assessment functions, mainly for Adult Social Care. I enjoy managing people and public services and making processes better both for customers and colleagues.

People Hub have given you some support through redundancy. This must have been a difficult time for you. How did you find your experience with People Hub? Was it helpful during this time?

I was offered an alternative role, but it just wasn’t something that excited me. I had a real sense of belonging in the organisation and a strong network that I was sad to leave but at the same time I didn’t want to take a job that didn’t feel right. People Hub helped reassure me about my transferable skills and experience and helped me identify where my true interests lie in terms of forging a new career. They were then able to help identify and fund training to help me on my chosen path.

Were People Hub able to help you?

I connected with People Hub whilst still in my last role, but I was feeling quite down at the time and from the first discussion, I knew that it was going to be a valuable resource for me and I’ve referred others as well. I would certainly feel less confident without the help I’ve had, and I also think that People Hub are really helping the employment market by supporting people with appropriate training options and getting them on the right path.

Tell us about your connector, Sarah, what was she like to work with?

Open, friendly, positive, knowledgeable – fantastic! Very supportive and responsive, she really helped me to focus on finding what I wanted to do not just now, but with other options for the longer term.

Tell us about the course you have done. Has it been helpful? What will you do with it?

I’ve done a Change Management Practitioner Course. Change Management focusses on people and how they are affected by change which really interests me. I’ve done a lot of Change Management and following the pandemic, many businesses are now looking at transformation through digitisation, financial efficiencies, etc and are looking for experienced managers to lead those changes, so it seemed sensible to look at a formal qualification to support this. I studied through virtual classroom with a fantastic trainer and made some great business connections along the way. I really enjoyed the course and it was self-affirming, reinforcing my existing knowledge but also taught me a number of really useful tools and techniques I can bring to my next role.

Was the experience with People Hub what you were expected?

I didn’t really have any preconceptions but from the first meeting I had a great feeling that it would be a positive experience and I was right.

What comes to mind when you think about the current situation of the labour market in Cornwall?

It is an employee’s market at the moment, so employers need to sell themselves to the labour market, making the most of what they offer candidates in the way that recruiters would once have asked interviewees to sell themselves. I think some employers need to do more to attract the right candidate, for example role profiles often set out demands for experience and qualifications that are not always realistic and they may be missing out on quality candidates as a result. Lots of opportunities have become more flexible as a result of the pandemic, eg with homeworking and flexible hours, but not all employers can offer those terms so many jobs will continue to go unfilled because of the lack of affordable housing in Cornwall, in turn putting more strain on the workforce.

Do you feel confident in your employability now you have completed your course?

Definitely. I knew I had a lot of transferable skills but doing some formal training was both interesting and empowering for me.

What has been the best part of the experience and the worst part with People Hub?

There hasn’t been a worst part. It’s all been really positive, aside a minor hairy moment in negotiating costs with a training provider for my desired course but my connector dealt with it all quickly and efficiently and I was able to start my chosen formal course promptly. My connector also helped me identify lots of additional training options which I can access independently, many of which are either free or low cost.

We’re here to help! Give us a call and find out how.