28 September 2007

Peterlee Mum Receives Awards

Lone parent Elaine Richardson has gone from strength to strength since she started her search for work.  Not only has she found a new job, she has also won two awards for her hard work since she took up her role with Asda in 2007.

After spending the past 18 years bringing up her children and caring for her father, Elaine decided she wanted to return to work and started her search by contacting Acumen Development Trust.

She worked with Acumen’s Employment Adviser, Joanne Jones, who helped her to search for vacancies in the area, to complete her CV, gave her pointers on filling in application forms and helped her to access training.

Joanne said: “Elaine is a very motivated individual whose sheer hard work and determination has enabled her to return to work.

“Although Elaine had no previous retail experience, she had many transferable skills from raising her children, running a home and from volunteering at a local school.”

Elaine admits that initially she was daunted at the prospect of returning to work and said: “I was very wary at first but Joanne made me feel at ease, and made me want to come back to the Acumen office to meet her.  She was always on the end of the phone when I had any questions and she helped to relieve my fears and worries.

“Working with Acumen has given me the confidence boost I needed to take the step from being unemployed into work.  I would like to encourage others to use the services offered by Acumen as a stepping stone to move into work.

“I love working at Asda and my life has changed so much since I started my job, I used to feel ‘stuck in a rut’ on benefits.

“My two daughters and grandson are also reaping the benefits of me returning to work as we now have the internet in the house and we are booking a holiday abroad.”