Zoe Wales - Domestic

School life had always been a struggle for Zoe, who suffers from dyslexia. She’d been wrongly labelled ‘slow’ and ‘lazy’ by people who hadn’t recognised the extent of her learning difficulty and had not felt supported in a school environment.However, since achieving her Cleaning & Support Services qualification at the Sussex Downs Care Home in Storrington, West Sussex, together with a Level 1 Functional Skills in Maths and English, both Zoe’s confidence and her career have gone from strength to strength! Her job at Sussex Downs has been extended to include a customer service role which involves showing potential new residents around and advising on the care home’s features and services.
“I was delighted to gain a recognised qualification and to overcome the significant learning barriers that I’d faced throughout my school life,” said Zoe. “Being able to work with my HIT trainer-assessor to discuss my career options and set goals that I could work towards made a huge difference to me. Knowing I could also talk to my boss gave me more confidence because I knew support was available to help me face my challenges.

“My employers and HIT were really supportive and helped me with my dyslexia, and through a combination of their support and my determination to achieve, I’m living proof that work-based learning really works!”

“Achieving new qualifications has had such a fantastic effect on Zoe and the way she works,” explains Zoe’s boss, Ann Morris. “With HIT’s help it has been possible for me to give Zoe the extra encouragement she needed and with a little coaching, Zoe’s self-belief has come on leaps and bounds – her determination to succeed sets a great example for others.”