TVH resident, Sheron Wood, has begun a new job and a new career thanks to the volunteer experience she gained at the Thames Valley Housing Resident Training and Employment Centre
Sheron is now the Administrator for the Community Training and Employment Team at TVH; a job that was advertised while she was a volunteer.
She said, “I’m absolutely over the moon I’ve got a job. Volunteering gave me the chance to get experience working in reception, administration, business skills and researching projects. I was interviewed along with everyone else who applied for my post. I wouldn’t have got it if I hadn’t had the experience volunteering gave me.”
Sheron, a single mum of two grown-up children, did her volunteering as part of the NVQ level 2 in Business and Administration, and the CIH Housing qualification, level 2 qualifications
She said, “Volunteering really helped build up my confidence. I was a trained as a hairdresser but I really wanted to train for something more rewarding as well as lucrative. Now, as well as getting experience, I’ve gained qualifications too.
The TVH Resident Training and Employment Centre opened in February last year. Over 100 residents have now benefited from training, volunteering and mentoring, designed to help them get back to work.
Emildah Chabata, Community Training and Employment Manager, said, “Each resident is given an individual learning plan and the courses they study are tailored to suit the needs of the individual resident. The key emphasis is ensuring the resident can work toward achieving the goals the want to achieve. The benefits of such training are not purely financial; residents will enjoy an improved quality of life because of the confidence and sense of achievement they get.”
More information about Training at TVH, whether you are a TVH resident or a Housing professional