Pershore woman one of the first to benefit from free training programme

A Pershore woman has embarked on new employment after accessing free training which aims to bridge the skills gap in Worcestershire.

Sally Harte had been working as maternity cover on the reception at Evesham College and was wondering what her next job would be after the temporary position ended.

College group WCG, which includes Evesham College, is currently delivering Train 4 Success (T4S) – a programme giving individuals employed within Worcestershire aged 50 and over, free places on a wide variety of part-time, college courses. 

T4S is funded through the European Social Fund.

Sally accessed the training and is now a fully-qualified first aider and has landed herself a job with Medicare-EMS, which provides first aid support at sport and entertainment events across the country.

Visitors to Stratford Racecourse and Worcester Racecourse will now regularly see Sally in the grandstands and around the course.

She completed a three-day first aid course at Evesham College and has urged more people in her position to do the same.

Sally said: “I’ve been working a range of jobs over the last few years after moving to Worcestershire from Oxford and when I knew my maternity cover was coming to an end at the college, I was wondering what employment I could get to replace it. 

“I’d heard about Train 4 Success, looked at the different courses being offered and as I’d wanted to do a First Aid course for a long time.

“I signed up for it, the bonus being it was free, and now it has provided me with new work opportunities. It’s also given me the confidence to know that if I’m out and about and someone is taken ill in front of me, I’ll be able to help!

“The First Aid qualification I gained enabled me to secure my new role with Medicare-EMS and I’ll be providing on-site support at events now, in particular at racecourses which combines my love of horses with my new skills.”

Train 4 Success was launched to upskill workforces across the region and delivers training at Evesham College, Malvern Hills College and Pershore College.

Training sessions cater for the needs of individuals and businesses, and can be delivered in workplaces as well as at the colleges.

Adrian Barradell, from Train 4 Success, said: “It is great to see Sally benefitting from the free Train 4 Success training, and she is an example of how wide-ranging the benefits of this programme can be.

“It can be accessed by individuals within a business, like Sally, who are looking to add new skills, or by businesses who are looking to upskill the employees in their workforce aged over fifty.

“We’ve had a great response since the programme launched and would encourage other professionals and businesses to get in touch to see how we can help them with our tailored training packages.”