A Nottingham man is improving his chances of finding work and changing his life by improving his computer and internet skills at a local UK online centre
Kensley Momoh, 43, from the Radford area of Nottingham, attended the ISSEA online centre after a friend who knew he was looking for work recommended it - and the visit was his first step to finding the work he needs to support his training.
Kensley says, "I'm currently training for my hairdressing qualifications. It's something I've done for years but I wanted to develop my skills and get the certificates I need to prove I can do the job."
After beginning his training at his local college, Kensley started to look for other work to support his education and soon realised what a barrier his lack of computer skills were.
He says, "I'd never owned or even really used a computer before, so I did try applying for jobs by taking in my CV by hand or phoning up, but I got frustrated because I never heard anything back. Before long I realised almost all the jobs were asking for online applications so i knew I'd have more luck over the internet. I just needed to learn how!"
Veronica Miles, the Director of Impact Support Services Enterprise where the ISSEA online centre is based, is very familiar with situations like Kensley's. She says, "Because of the high rate of unemployment in the area, the main reason people come to the ISSEA online centre now is to improve their job skills and to do this they need to know how to use a computer. It's also about improving their confidence so they feel ready to get out into the work place once they've got the skills they need."
The support of centre staff has made all the difference to Kensley, "Once I got to the centre I found out how friendly and helpful the staff were. I'd soon done the basics and moved onto learning about job hunting online and how to put a CV together."
"Now I can get the most recent vacancies from the job centre and go straight back to ISSEA and email my CV to prospective employers, I feel so much better equipped than before."
Kensley's new skills have even started to deliver results. "I've already had one interview this week which I'm still waiting to hear about, so fingers crossed! But I am still searching as well. It's so much easier now that I can look online and I'm willing to try anything to help me pay the bills while I train.
Kensley concludes: "I am very proud of what I have achieved with my new skills. I feel like I've improved at everything! It makes me feel really positive that I'll find the right job for me."
