Family learning to employment

Joanne’s Story

After taking a career break from the civil service to have her family, Joanne found she had changed from being a confident and capable career woman into an unsure, unhappy, isolated, depressed new mum. Eventually it was discovered that Joanne was suffering from type 1 diabetes and life was very difficult coping with two young children and administering insulin injections five times a day.

On the suggestion of a friend, Joanne joined a family learning course with her eldest daughter. The course was invaluable to Joanne, both in reducing her feelings of isolation, and in spending time learning with her daughter. She found that she was refreshing skills she had long since forgotten from her own school days.

Joanne went on to complete the numeracy course, Share, Active Tots and computer courses achieving many qualifications along the way. Her success in all these courses gave Joanne the confidence to resign from her office job and to apply successfully for a position at a local school. Joanne says she now loves going to work everyday and being a mum.

Description: left to right: Joanne Heywood, learner from Wakefield MBC; Karen Burgess, learner from Cheshire County Council.

Top of page