Press Article: Albert gets a lift from course

Albert Barnard, a former machine operator who was made redundant has found work as a forklift truck driver after taking part in a free training course. Albert feared the worst when he found himself out of work last September when the engineering company he was working for got into difficulty.

But after he signed up to the Job Centre he was offered the chance to go on a forklift driving course for free through TheLightBulb. Albert from Canvey Island is now back in work as a fork lift driver. He said "I was asked because I was receiving job seekers' allowance, if I would like to attend this course. I agreed. It was fully paid for and I was fortunate enough to pass. Apparently I passed with flying colours. After that I applied for a few jobs and the next minute I was there for an interview and had got one. You know what the job market is like I didn't expect to find one so quickly"

Albert who is from South Africa and moved to Britain five years ago with his British wife, said he struggled to find a job as his qualifications were not British but that the four week course which gave him a Level 2 NVQ certificate had rectified that.

The courses have been organised by TheLightBulb, which has a Government contract to deliver employment training to people across Essex. Courses from running a business to painting and decorating and customer service are all available through TheLightBulb.

Albert said "it was brilliant for me and I am happy with how things have worked out. Things like this are good and people should appreciate the privilege of having a government that does things like this for you.

For more information on the scheme visit our unemployed development section.

The full story was in the Echo on Thursday June 14th