Malcolm Apperley
Previously a welder, Malcolm (Max) Apperley, 57, was forced to stop work in 2007 due to a shoulder injury. He began drinking heavily, got into debt and was evicted from his flat. Now, two years later, through improving his basic skills, Max has sorted out his finances, reduced his drinking and hopes to get back into paid employment.
After being evicted, Max moved into supported housing with Stonham Housing. “I was still drinking and my personal affairs were a complete mess. However, with help from my Project Worker, Chris Kerridge, everything was sorted out. We also agreed it was important that I found something constructive to do with my time,” he said.
With Chris’ help, Max enrolled on a City & Guilds Level 1 IT course at a local college after which he then went on to study City & Guilds Level 2 Enhanced Diploma. He has also gained OCR Level 1 and Level 2 certificates for Literacy and Numeracy through learndirect.
“When I lost my job, I really thought that was it for me as I didn’t know about anything else. But now I’ve realised that it’s never too late to learn. All my courses have been absolutely brilliant and learning new skills will hopefully help me to get back into paid work so that I can move on.”
“Learning has been one of the most important factors to reclaiming my life and giving me encouragement for the future. It’s given me a structure, taught me lots of new things, built up my confidence and self-esteem and helped me reduce my drinking to almost nothing.”