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Maureen N – Reblooming After the NHS

Employability Case Study

Participant profile

Maureen enjoyed a long and fulfilling career in the NHS, a role she cherished. However, health issues forced her to leave her position. Seeking to maintain a sense of purpose, she began volunteering at a local café. Despite her satisfaction with volunteering, Maureen harboured ambitions to return to paid employment in a café setting and, more importantly, to launch her own floristry business. Recognising the need for improved digital skills to manage the business side of her floral venture, she enrolled in an employability programme focused on digital literacy, career development, and health & wellbeing.

Initial Assessment and Agreed Priorities

During the initial assessment, Maureen outlined her primary goals:

  1. Employment/Placement: Secure paid employment or a volunteer placement in a café or a related charitable organisation.
  2. Digital Skills and employability Enhancement: Complete the 5-week course and thoroughly engage with the online learning materials.
  3. Business Development: Develop her floristry business with support from the programme’s startup business resources and contacts.

Programme Activities and Support

  • Individual Learning Plan (ILP) and Opportunity Exploration: Maureen completed an ILP with her session staff to assess her needs. She received information about a volunteer opportunities at local charities, along with application materials and given time to consider these opportunities.
  • Digital skills enhancement and development of Career collaterals: Maureen was taught to look at technology from the perspective of strengthening business and personal goals, streamlining processes and optimising efficiency. She was encouraged to look at different ways IT assists organisations and individuals at work, at home and socially. She was guided through the creation of a professional LinkedIn profile and showcase portfolio. She learned how to craft a business-tailored banner using her own photographs of her floristry work, understanding the power of LinkedIn for professional networking and business promotion. This allowed her to showcase her skills and is an invaluable tool for connecting with potential clients and employers.
  • Comprehensive Online Engagement: Maureen excelled in the programme, becoming the only participant to complete all ten online courses in addition to the face-to-face sessions, demonstrating her dedication and proactive approach to learning.
  • Nutritional Insights and Alternative Career Paths: During discussions, Maureen displayed a keen interest and knowledge in nutrition, even showcasing her extensive curiosity by discussing her fact-finding on plastic poisoning. Her insights and research enthusiasm, combined with her NHS experience, prompted her tutor to suggest exploring a career in this field. However, Maureen ultimately chose to focus on developing her floristry business.
  • Startup Business Support: Maureen received guidance and resources to support the launch and management of her floristry business including from Ingeus partners.

Outcomes and Impact

  • Maureen developed a strong professional online presence through LinkedIn, showcasing her floristry skills and increasing her visibility.
  • She significantly improved her digital skills, empowering her to manage the online aspects of her business.
  • Her proactive engagement with the programme and her dedication to learning resulted in her becoming a top participant.
  • She gained the confidence and resources to pursue her entrepreneurial aspirations in floristry.
  • She then enrolled in a further 6 week employability course that included a placement at the cafe she was volunteering at, and gained valuable skills in job seeking.

Participant Feedback

“I am very pleased with all that I achieved on this course. Manuella was an excellent tutor and made the whole process easy. It was down to Manuella how well I progressed, with her delivery and patience, and above all her approachability, putting me at ease, especially at the start of the course. I am very grateful for all the insights gained and the directions I was taken in, which I wouldn’t have achieved without participating in this course.”

Conclusion

Maureen’s case demonstrates the transformative impact of employability programmes on older individuals seeking to re-enter the workforce or pursue entrepreneurial ventures. Her dedication, combined with the comprehensive support provided by the programme, enabled her to enhance her skills, build her confidence, and pursue her passion for floristry. Her willingness to engage fully with the programme, including the online components, was a key factor in her success. The programme’s ability to identify and nurture her strengths, while also providing guidance on alternative career paths, further contributed to her positive outcome. Her further enrolment on another employability course shows her drive to succeed. Maureen is an example of how lifelong learning and adaptable support can empower individuals to achieve their goals at any stage of life.