Adult education provider, ACL Essex, is offering a range of IT courses across Essex for beginners through to experts.
Gary Starkings, from Clacton became unemployed during the Covid pandemic, but decided he wanted to get back into work. Wanting to boost his CV, knowledge and skills, Gary joined a digital course at ACL Essex in Clacton.
Here’s Gary’s story:
“I became unemployed in 2021, and being out of work knocked my confidence, so I decided I wanted to get back into work. I knew I had to boost my CV and I wanted to build my knowledge so I joined an IT course at the ACL Essex centre in Clacton. Sue, my tutor, rekindled my interest in a job I used to do, where I used to work with Microsoft packages like Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Access.
“Going to the courses at ACL Essex has given me a structure in my life. It gives me a reason to get up in the morning, go to the course and study for that day. It sets me up for the rest of the week. ACL Essex has given me the drive to work towards something but also do other things as well, like volunteering.
“I now have a volunteering job at the tuck shop in the local hospital. I do this one day a week and it’s nice to be a part of the community where I’m helping to give back.
“Over the last few years, the courses at ACL Essex have helped to keep my confidence up, but not only that, they are also a means of getting back into work. I’ve even had more job interviews because of my time at ACL Essex!
“I would encourage anyone who’s out of work to take full advantage of the courses at ACL Essex. Not only for the confidence, but also to build towards getting another job. The courses are half-price if you’re unemployed, so there’s a cash incentive to learn too.
“Now, my short term goal is to get into work and in the next six months, I want to start another IT course at ACL Essex. If I can’t get back into work, I might go back to self-employment selling golf clubs. I have so much more knowledge and skills now.”
Gary received the ‘Lifelong Learning’ award at the ACL Essex Awards in 2024. This award celebrates people who know there are many opportunities to further their knowledge and develop their skills, and that it’s never too late to start. Recipients of this award are true advocates of this, are role models to others, and understand the huge impact learning can have on our lives.
To find out more about digital courses at ACL Essex, visit www.aclessex.com/digital.
