41, no prospects and no qualifications.

[whymewhyme]

I was dreadfull at school I have always felt " thick" I'm not ideal just can't do maths.
I left school with GCSE child development and food tech 🤣 and D in English other than I can't remember what grade the rest of the subjects were.

11 yrs ago I got a job working with vulnerable adults, I have worked there and loved it for many years but the company has changed and I am thinking of changing jobs only to realise I have worked for this company for 11 years and I have achieved nothing, they haven't even put me through my nvq in Health and social care in this time. The company is small and there is no room for progression so training isn’t important apart from the mandatory online courses.

I'd like to work in the NHS as a ward assistant or phlabotomist but I have been told the NHS are paticular about GCSEs which I don't have nor do I have the proof of them, lost my citificates years ago
I've looked at doing functional skills In L2 maths which I will admit I don't think if pass, I can't do maths at all and it isn't cheap to do.

So i'm sat here feeling sorry for myself feeling like I'm stuck.

Do you have a local Further Education college? They would be able to advise you on different paths forward/courses to take. You could get your English/Maths GCSEs for example whilst working in current job for a bit, or there might be other options to get where you want to go. It might not be easy, but they will have great skills in supporting people in exactly your situation and identifying what support you might need to succeed. It could turn out that you have dyscalculia, which they can support.

I'll tell you one thing though OP. You are not 'thick'. Not in the slightest. You have spent 11 years working with vulnerable adults and that is not an easy job at all. You have made a difference day to day to in other people's lives and that is invaluable.

I would echo the advice to contact your local FE college. I teach in universities and some of the best students I have taught came through Access to HE courses which are designed for people who left school with few qualifications.

There are functional skills courses in English and Maths which you might feel are more accessible. The fact that you recognise that you might need more qualifications is a great start. Don't be discouraged if it feels like you need to do these qualifications to be able to progress - you've held down a job for 11 years which shows commitment.

My brother (51) left school with no GCSEs. He has done various jobs along the way. About 12 years ago, he took a job as a carer working with young adults in their own homes. He's now the Senior Carer and has done various courses along the way- he earns more than my engineer husband! Keep looking, there will be better options with all your experience.

Don’t be disheartened OP. You will be able to do functional skills! My daughter is doing a CIPD course at the moment and she did an apprenticeship when she did the first level. As part of that she had to do functional skills in Maths as she didn’t pass GCSE maths. She gets really confused and finds maths really hard - especially as the teaching methods had changed since she was at school. She failed the first time by 2 marks but she tried again and passed with a distinction and got the highest mark in the class. I’m so proud of her. I’m pretty sure there are free courses available for people with no maths qualification so you should definitely look into it at your local higher / further education centre. Good luck with whatever you decide to do and definitely don’t write yourself off as a failure and give up on your dreams.

Please don't write yourself off - as others have said, look at local courses in Functional Maths and English. If you can get those, your experience should help you enormously to get a job as a ward assistant.

If you don't already have a grade C GCSE in maths or English then you should be eligible to do L2 functional skills for free.

Please don't say you're not able o do maths. It was a horrible mindset imposed on young children many years ago when it was accepted to label someone as such.

It isn't easy to get back into it but you just need a decent tutor/ teacher. Look into adult courses and take it from there. start doing little things like times tables and number bonds to 10. Little by little, build that confidence. I'm speaking from the point of view of someone who started off hating maths and saying i couldn't do it, now I'm someone who has taught top set year 6 for many years. You can do it!

Can you go work for another care company that will put you through the H&C NVQ or even find someone/company that will come to your existing workplace, it should include maths to at least L2 as part of that, this will then help you move on.

good luck there are options out there to help. If the NvQ doesn’t work there are access courses and things you will be able to do to get what you need.

Thank you for all the support, I will continue to look into L2. I fear I have written myself off a bit but I need to try and better myself, let's face it I have plenty of working years a head of me yet I have always wondered if I have discaclia which I may look into

I have been in a similar situation, I found adult maths classes near me that were free. My marriage finally collapsed and I found myself looking for a job at 50. I ended up working in a bank! This is the absolute truth. Don’t ever underestimate your ability to reinvent yourself. I’ve now written a book about my experiences that I’ve been sending to publishers. You can do anything you want to, believe me! Good luck x

You can do Functional Skills at level 1 and then level 2. I bet you’ll be surprised by how much better you have got at math.

Thanks for the lovely supportive messages