Re-taking English GCSE catapults Laura back into work

Sometimes it takes ‘a lot of courage to come back into work’ and in her own words, that was the challenge facing Laura Coleman after taking time out of her career to bring up her children.

Laura says: “I came out of school with nothing. I had failed at school, and after having my children and seeing them grow up, I felt strongly about closing the door on that particular chapter of my life and taking the first step to begin my career again.”

Gaining a qualification and boosting confidence

However, to do that, Laura needed to go back to college to gain that all-important English GCSE qualification. She chose the adult learning course at Leicester College and passed the course.

“Getting my qualification after so long out of education was a massive confidence boost to me. It was great to put myself back into an environment where I was able to have conversations with other adults, and to be around amazing people and amazing tutors!” continues Laura.

Career progression

After passing her English GCSE, Laura was able to make her first forays back into the workplace. She started with a medical administrator role in the NHS, after which she moved on to become an Executive and Private Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Delta Global, a luxury packaging company handling high end brands, where she travelled with the CEO across the UK, to New York and Australia. 

Laura is currently the Executive Assistant to the CEO at Blue Light Card, the leading discount provider in the UK for emergency services, the NHS, the social care sector, and the armed forces. Her responsibilities include project management, arranging business travel, taking meeting minutes, supporting key stakeholders and handling complex diary management.

Stepping stone for a move back into work

Laura concludes, “Returning to Leicester College to retake my English GCSE has put me in a place I never thought I would reach. It was a significant stepping stone and a great move for me. To anyone facing a similar situation, I would say just go for it! You never know where it may lead!”