Bernadette Whiten changed her life for the better after completing maths, English and IT qualifications with learndirect

Bernadette Whiten, 41, from Guildford, has changed her life for the better after completing maths, English and IT qualifications with learndirect. She was out of work and with 12-year-old twin sons to look after, money was really tight. Having left school with no qualifications, Bernadette was anxious about returning to learning but was keen to rebuild her confidence and get a job to support her family. Thanks to her new skills Bernadette is now happily settled in an administration role, has a bit more money to help out with the bills and is managing her money better.

“I wasn’t interested in school, so had no hesitation in leaving at 16 and going straight to work at a local factory,” said Bernadette. “It was only once I’d had my twin boys and wanted to move into an office role that I realised just how essential it was to have some qualifications.”

“Being out of work made me feel really worthless and my life revolved around the four walls of my house.  I was really struggling for money and my sons were suffering because I had to make sure what little money I had went towards paying the bills.  There were lots of times they had to walk round in shoes that didn’t fit them properly, and I couldn’t even afford to buy them a bag of sweets.

Desperate to get out of the house and back into work, Bernadette found out about learndirect through Jobcentre Plus where an adviser recommended she take some qualifications to increase her chances of getting a job.

“I found the learning very flexible – which it needed to be in order to fit around my sons,” said Bernadette. “The atmosphere at the centre was great and the tutors were very patient, which helped to calm my worries about going back into learning.

“Thanks to my new skills I was offered a part-time admin role at the learndirect centre. I’ve now got a bit more money coming in and have learnt how to manage my spending.  I always try to put a bit of money aside to spend on my sons and I break down my bills so I don’t have to pay them all in one go.

“I use a spreadsheet to calculate how much money I’ll have at the end of each month after my direct debits have gone out.  It’s sometimes hard to juggle things around, especially with two growing sons, but my new skills have made things that bit easier.

“learndirect has given my confidence a real boost.  I use my new skills all the time in my job. I can now guide other learners through the same process I went through; setting them up on tests and helping them feel comfortable. I’m also producing spreadsheets, writing emails and booking appointments with no problem whatsoever – I love my job!

“I’m even able to help my sons with their homework now which I wouldn’t have managed to do before!

Bernadette added: “I’m really happy in my new role and enjoying life.  I’ll definitely be recommending friends and family to find out more about learndirect – it’s changed my life.”