Mathlian Downs
When Mathlian referred by the jobcentre to an ESF-funded project run by Working Links, her confidence, motivation and self-esteem were very low. She had been in care as a child and at school she struggled with reading and writing, and believed she was ‘thick’, leaving with no qualifications. She was partially deaf, but only at 21 was she diagnosed with glue ear.
Mathlian returned to education in her 20s to take GCSEs but didn’t complete them. After her children were born, she realised she needed to support their learning. At Working Links, she completed an employability course in CV writing, job preparation and interview skills. She took a care course, gaining her first ever qualifications, including Health and Safety, First Aid, Manual Handling, and Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults.
Through Working Links Mathlian gained her first-ever qualifications and has since secured a full-time job as a nursing home support worker. She hopes to continue learning and complete NVQ level 3 in Health and Social Care. “I can’t thank Working Links enough,” she says. “They have given me the confidence to believe that I can achieve.”
