Redundancy, a Life Changing Moment for Fleur

Almost a year after the despondency of being made redundant by Llanidloes car components manufacturer KTH, life is looking much brighter for Fleur Frantz-Morgans.

Thanks to funding support from training and lifelong learning organisation ELWa’s ReAct redundancy support programme, the 35-year-old mother of three is learning new computer skills and gaining qualifications to help her start a new career.

Reflecting on her redundancy last August, Fleur said: “With over 200 people on the dole looking for work in Llanidloes, I thought where on earth was I going to get a job. It was a terrifying prospect.

“So it was great when the opportunity arose to retrain and move in a completely different career direction. Prospects are now better than they have ever been and I am looking forward to getting a job with normal working hours, not the shift work that I was doing to KTH.

“It’s brilliant that I have gone from working in a smelly factory to working in an office on computers. It really has done me a power of good and changed my whole life.”

Fleur is gaining her new computer and Internet skills through Powys Training’s Newtown training centre, where she has completed her Key Skills and is now working towards an NVQ level two IT qualification, while also gaining work experience as a receptionist.

Not bad for a person, who less than a year ago knew only how to switch on a computer to access the Internet.

“I couldn’t do a spreadsheet and had no idea what a database was,” she recalls. “But the training has given me new confidence and opened my eyes to all the jobs that I can now go for. My long -term aim is to get a job in management.

“I used to think that training was only for young people, but I really enjoy learning and recommend it highly to everyone.”

Powys Training’s Newtown centre manager David Birch has enjoyed watching Fleur’s development as her confidence has grown. “She was very shy and lacking confidence when she started with us, but she is completely different person now,” he said.

“She has taken the opportunity to change career and has made a real success of her training.”

Supported by the European Social Fund, ELWa’s ReAct programme is designed to help redundant workers gain new skills, overcome obstacles and improve their chances of returning to work quickly.