Case studies

Roy’s determination pays off in employment

Thirty-eight year old Roy Pearman is passionate about literature and has a natural gift for numbers and maths.  Yet despite his intelligence, he left school with just two GCSEs and undertook a string of manual jobs well into his thirties.

When his daughter was young, Roy was keen to encourage her to learn.  He spent hours reading with her and teaching her about the countries of the world, rather than sitting her in front of the TV.  She inherited his love of reading and learning, and Roy was delighted with her thirst for knowledge.  

“Becoming a dad was one of the best things that’s ever happened to me, and I loved teaching my daughter new things when she was little.  She was always so eager to learn, and together we’ve discovered new books, and used them to explore the globe and find out about all sorts of interesting things, people and places.  

“I always drummed into her how important learning and education are, but at the same time I always had that nagging feeling of hypocrisy, because I knew I hadn’t taken my own education seriously.  I wasn’t practicing what I was preaching. 

“I didn’t apply myself at school and left as soon as I could. I had no interest in further education.  My dad was in the army and I’d always accepted that I would follow suit, so there didn’t seem much point in worrying about exams or getting a decent education.”

Roy did indeed join the army, and was 21 when he became a dad.  The need to provide for his family meant any thoughts of returning to education were firmly pushed aside.

“When my daughter was small the necessity was to work,” he says.  “I left the army but I took a string of ‘stop-gap’ jobs – I was a labourer, a postman, a nursing assistant.  Each one started off as a temporary measure and then stretched into three, four, five years.  Then before I knew it, I was in my thirties.  When I found myself telling my daughter how important education was, I realised I had to do something about it for myself, before it really was too late.

”Although reading is my passion and I would love to write, I don’t think I’ve got the confidence to make a career out of it.  I’ve always been good with numbers, so I looked into accountancy.  I enrolled on an Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) course and started going to college one night a week.”

Having that small taste of education again left Roy with a thirst for more, and he made the brave decision to leave his latest job as a nursing assistant to concentrate on his studies.

“I knew I needed to do much more than just an accounting qualification if I wanted to have a successful career,” he says.  “It was a big decision to stop working and concentrate on my studies, but it felt like the right decision.  I wanted to really make something of myself and my mind, and set the right example for my daughter.  

"I found my way into the local UK online centre at Kensington Community Learning Centre and discovered there was a whole range of courses I could do that would help compliment my college course and get me back on the career path.  Although my accountancy course was part-time, I was studying full-time with all the extra courses I was taking at the UK online centre.  It was a chance for me to get to grips with all the things I’d missed out on in school and in my working life – like computers.

“Going to the UK online centre was a revelation.  I knew virtually nothing about technology so I was starting completely from scratch!  I’d never had to face a keyboard, monitor and mouse before in my working life, so the whole thing was a bit daunting.  But at Kensington CLC you get to work entirely at your own pace.  It was just what I needed.  

“As soon as I knew my way around a computer I began to really enjoy it.  As well as giving me all these new skills, it made it much easier to do my college work because I was learning how to do things like word processing and spreadsheets.  I could fit everything in around my other study and family commitments, and I could work towards the qualifications I needed to tell prospective employers I could use a computer.”

Roy gradually built up his skills, and completed courses in Microsoft Word, Excel, Access and Outlook, and quickly obtained his CLAIT certificate, before moving on to CLAIT Plus. Living on benefits after working all his adult life wasn’t easy though, and friends tried to persuade him to go back to work.  

“I was struggling,” Roy admits.  “People were saying I should go back to nursing, or just get a labouring job.  But I knew that if I did that I’d have no direction in my life.  I wanted to use my head instead of my body, and although it was tough I knew that in a few years’ time I’d have a career carved out, not be working on a building site wondering what might have been.”

Although Roy was determined not to return to manual work, he recognised that he would need experience in an office environment.  

“I knew in order to go from manual work and studying into an office I’d need more than a few bits of paper saying I could use a computer – I needed experience.  The Kensington Community Learning Centre was always so busy, I thought they might appreciate an extra pair of hands, so I approached the staff about doing a bit of volunteering.  I thought I could help out with some of the administration, and get some proper work experience.”  

Kensington CLC snapped Roy up on his offer.  Project administrator Suzanne McGlynn explains: “Roy has been a massive asset to the centre, and we’ve certainly put his skills and patience to good use!  His courses and voluntary hours meant he was here almost on a full-time basis, and he fitted right in to our small, busy team.  One of the things Roy helped us out with was our last Get online day event.  It was one of the biggest open days we’ve held, and he was a huge help.  He contributed some great ideas to promote the event, walked around the local area with flyers and posters, and was instrumental in making the day a success.”

While Roy continued with his AAT exam, his IT courses and his voluntary work at the centre, he was applying for as many jobs as he could find.

“I’d go online at the centre and apply for ten, twenty jobs at a time,” he says.  “I signed up with all the agencies I could find and applied for all the accountancy and administration positions I saw.  I went to a few interviews and each time I felt I was getting closer to success, but it just never quite happened.”

Yet despite the knockbacks, Roy remained positive and used the rejection as a learning tool, asking interviewers for feedback.  “I might have been disheartened for a day or so, but the next day I’d just find out where I went wrong and start again,” he says.  “You’ve just got to pick yourself up, brush yourself down and make sure you do better next time.  When you know what you want to do and you’ve worked hard to get to do it, there’s no point in giving up at the final hurdle.”

After seven months of volunteering at the centre and almost four years of studying, Roy attended an interview with a local accountancy firm.  He made it to the final two, but on discovering that he had once again been unsuccessful, Roy telephoned the employer and asked where he could have improved.

“It was so frustrating to be so close and yet so far!  The manager who conducted the interview told me that there was really nothing in it between me and the successful candidate” says Roy.  “So I said: ‘OK.  Why don’t I come and work for you for nothing for a few weeks and see how we get on?’  Although the experience at the centre was invaluable, I really felt as though I need to be in an accountancy environment if I was going to get the job I really wanted.”

So Roy began working voluntarily, walking to the office each day to save his bus fare.  After just one week, his new employer was so impressed with Roy’s tenacity, diligence and attitude, he gave him a job.

“I’ve been there four months now, and I’m really enjoying the work,” says Roy.  “It’s just the sort of experience I needed to get me onto the accountancy career ladder.  My final AAT exam is next week, and if I pass that I’ll be an AAT NVQ 4 qualified accounting technician.  Then I can move on to the Association Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) course, or the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) course, which are both degree level.

“I know I’ve still got a long way to go, but the drive is there to get to where I want to be.  Without the certificates and experience I gained at the UK online centre I don’t think I’d ever have got this job.  As well as doing all the CLAIT courses – I’m currently on the advanced level - and learning about Access and Excel, I was using Sage accountancy software while I was volunteering in the office.  Having that extra knowledge made all the difference.  I think it’s safe to say it’s helped me change my life for the better, because now I’m finally the person I want to be, doing the things I want to do.  

“There’s still so much I want to learn, and I’ll carry on learning as long as I can.  When I was at school I just didn’t apply myself, but going to the UK online centre made me realise that there was so much more that I could do.  I’ve always said knowledge is power, and now I have that knowledge I can look forward to a promising career, and not just existing day to day.  

“I wasted the opportunities I had at school but I’m glad that I realised what I’d done and did something about it before it was too late. With the help of Kensington Community Learning Centre I’ve got myself new skills and I’ve got the job that I always wanted.

“I bumped into my old primary school teacher a few months ago and he told me that when he was teaching the children to read, he used me as an example of success because he’d given me The Hobbit to read when I was eight or nine and I read it in one sitting.  After spending so many years thinking I’d wasted my time at school, to hear that was very humbling.

“Then when I found out Suzanne had nominated me for the Outstanding Achievement Award I couldn’t believe it.  Just to be nominated confirmed that my hard work had been worthwhile, so when I found out I’d won an Award I was thrilled. To be given credit for my learning means so much to me – I’ve always said knowledge is the key to everything, so to be recognised for my achievements makes me feel incredibly proud.”

Suzanne confirms:  “I’m delighted Roy has won this Award, because he thoroughly, thoroughly deserves it.  He’s never given up, he’s always kept his eye on the prize, and he’s worked incredibly hard.  He’s living proof that learning and technology can open up new doors, and new worlds.  Well done Roy!”