When Margaret Rose, 56 from Barnstaple, developed a tumour
and needed a major operation, she knew that it would be the end of her
career as a cleaner. Having never passed an exam at school, Margaret had
low self-esteem and felt that she didn't know how to do anything.
Supported learning
Margaret said: "I was nervous about going back to learning because it's harder to admit that you have a problem when you're an adult. At learndirect, I've never been so encouraged in my life. When I started my IT course, I realised that I couldn't read properly and had problems with written words. I was encouraged to take a learndirect adult literacy course alongside my IT training. learndirect really supported me in my learning and I got really good results at the end of my course which I never expected I'd be able to achieve."
Realising Margaret's potential
"I started learning from scratch and now it has really changed my life. When I passed my first literacy exam it really opened my eyes and for the first time I realised that I had potential that I never knew existed.
"Part of me was woken up when I did my literacy course. It really has opened doors and made me realise that I'm not stupid and that I can actually do so much. It would be my dream to write a book one day and it's my time with learndirect that's helped me to see this could become a reality."