When he was made redundant from the factory he’d worked in for 22 years, Robert knew very little about the internet. However, thanks to the knowledge he picked up through UK online centres, the 56-year-old quickly found temporary work through online job sites and is now back in full-time employment.
“I worked in the same factory for 22 years and was as pleased as you can be with any job,” he explains. “Then one day the bosses decided to send our work overseas and close the place down. Being made redundant is a horrible feeling and, at 55, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get another job.
“Although I’d worked as a CNC [computer numerically controlled] engineer for years, the machines I operated in the factory were nothing like the ones you find in offices and libraries. I had no idea how to use a conventional PC and there were a lot of people in the same boat as me, with no job and no computer skills to help find a new one.
“One day a lady came into the factory from Next Step and explained the different options available to us moving forwards. One of the things she mentioned was learning about computers at the Pitman Training UK online centre in Peterborough. I couldn’t afford not to work and I knew that if I wanted to find a new job I’d need to be able to look online, so I decided to give it a go.
“On my first visit to the centre I was put onto myguide, which was great for me because it was really simple to follow. Being completely green I was quite slow at first but the tutors were really helpful and after a while, it started to sink in that there were similarities between normal PCs and the machines I’d used in the factory. It’s all about systems and myguide helped me learn how the conventional computer system works.
“After spending so long doing the same job, it felt really good to be learning something new and I enjoyed the myguide courses so much I ended up going through most of them. I particularly liked the quizzes at the end of each section, because they helped to make sure I had really understood what I’d learned.”
Armed with his new knowledge about computers and the internet, Robert soon set about joining the thousands of people who look for work online every day.
“Doing myguide helped me tremendously with my job search because it meant I could look for work online,” he says. “I went onto sites like Directgov, Monster and the Jobcentre Plus site and couldn’t believe how many jobs there were! There’s so much more choice online because you can search countrywide if you’re prepared to travel.
“Searching for jobs online is much quicker and easier than looking through the paper or going into the Job Centre every day. I uploaded my CV and work criteria onto several sites, which meant that if a job came up that matched what I was looking for the employer could contact me. I also joined a couple of agencies that specialise in the kind of work I do, so they could look for work on my behalf.
“Even though job sites and agencies can do a lot of the hard work for you, I continued to look for work myself online and got some good temporary contracts that way. With one job I applied for it on a Friday, the employer contacted me on the Saturday and I started work for them on the Monday morning! As it was too far to travel from my house, I searched for and booked some accommodation online. I even used Google Maps to find out exactly where the factory was. Within the space of a weekend the internet had helped get me a job, shown me where to find it and found me somewhere to stay in London!
“Although the temporary work was good to keep me ticking over I really wanted a full-time job and UK online centres even helped me with that. Ela, the centre manager at Pitman Training, saw something in the local paper she thought would be up my street and showed me the advert. I applied for it and got it and now I’m back working as a CNC Engineer in a factory near where I live.
“The things I’ve learned about computers have helped me in my new job. After finishing myguide I did a couple of Microsoft courses, which makes things easier at work as some of the parts are catalogued in Excel. I’m learning more all the time. I’m just about to finish a Microsoft Access course and I’m hoping to do a touch-typing course after that to improve my keyboard skills.
“Everything is computer-based these days, which is why myguide is so useful to people who can’t use them – people just like me a few month ago. I’ve already recommended it to a couple of friends who want to learn because the great thing about myguide is that it’s accessible to anybody. You don’t have to sign up for a course, or wait for term to start, you can just log on and start learning. It’s worked for me, and it could work for you too.”