SUCCESS STORIES

New Directions is an Aldershot-based project that supports unemployed women in finding employment. One of our participants, Norma, received 1:1 guidance to get back into work during the first quarter of 2025.

Over the years, Norma has gained a lot of experience working in the retail sector, owning a shop and supervising a team in the cleaning sector, specifically for wealthy families in London. But since moving to Farnborough to be closer to her son, finding suitable work has been difficult.

At the end of 2024, she met with Angela, the project’s employability adviser, to explore her options, check over her CV and attend the project’s life-skills workshops. Using our community network, Angela also managed to get Norma to work in voluntary positions.

Norma says: “Your help and workshops have been a lifeline. It has helped me build my confidence, improve my English conversation skills and I have gained valuable voluntary work experience at the Grub Hub. The MS Excel workshops have helped me get to get to grips with spreadsheets and the mindfulness workshop has helped me to stay calm and improve my sleep. I can recommend the project to anybody who needs a little helping hand to find a job.”

Norma is currently attending interviews and works as a volunteer for a number of organisations. Angela says: “Norma is the ideal employee. Reliable, kind and hardworking, I am confident that Norma will find a position with our help soon.”

Working with Norma has been made possible with additional funding from Rushmoor Borough Council to work with women older than 30 years.

Norma can be seen (second from the right) at one of our MS Excel workshops.