School cook returns to work and gets NVQ

TdaNews Direct
Published: 29 August, 2007

A mother who was out of work for 20 years has taken advantage of a special programme for school cooks to train and earn at the same time.

Beverly Clark from Croydon returned to work as a school cook after taking time out to care for her children.

While the 44-year-old was working at the Croydon Playcare Centre she took advantage of the Learning and Skills Council's new Train to Gain scheme, which enabled her to gain an NVQ level two in food processing and cooking by training on site.

She told the South London Press: "I previously had no qualifications and had not worked for 20 years, due to raising my children.

"Gaining this qualification has given me a big boost in my confidence. It gave me the opportunity to train at my own pace in my work environment."

Train to Gain provides independent advice on training to businesses across England, helping them to improve their productivity by ensuring that employees have the right skills.