Redundant Jason reskilled thanks to Foundation

After being made redundant, Jason Arkley knew it was time to reskill and pursue a new career path. However, for the 47-year-old this was quite an intimidating thought, having not been in an educational environment for so long. He decided to join Foundation of Light’s Back in the Game scheme, a free employability programme that is designed to support jobseekers across the north east in finding work by raising skills and confidence, while assisting learners throughout the application to work process. Offering industry recognised qualifications and real job opportunities matched to skills and experience, Jason was soon put on the pathway to new and permanent employment. “Initially it was quite daunting, but I joined Back in the Game after being out of work for 19 months,” Jason explained. “The support I received from the tutors really helped me along, they were patient and tolerant, especially as I had lots of barriers to overcome. “It was a really great experience, I met some fantastic people and have since been able to utilise the skills and knowledge I learnt to secure full time work,” he added. Back in the Game is one of many programmes hosted by the Foundation of Light that help individuals enhance their skillset, offering learners direct access to employment or further education opportunities at the end of the programme.