A REDUNDANCY turned into a new career for one Denbighshire man.
Last April, Gwynfor Jones, was made redundant from his job as a driver for BOCM Pauls mill in Denbigh.
The 58 year-old from Denbigh, who had worked for the company for two years felt certain he was set for a stable career until retirement.
But, last April bosses at the animal feed plant told all 40 workers they would be losing their jobs as the mill faced closure.
“We all thought it was an April Fool, but when the reality of facing redundancy sunk in, it was a real shock,” said Mr Jones.
Specialist adult guidance advisers from Careers Wales North East were drafted in to the company, to help the redundant workers with their next steps in finding a job or retraining.
Careers Wales staff facilitate the Welsh Assembly Government’s ReAct scheme, set up to offer funding for people facing redundancy to retrain.
At his appointment with Careers Wales, Mr Jones explained his son had suggested a job in health and safety, and asked his adviser what his options were in pursuing this career, having no formal training or qualifications.
“My careers adviser was very supportive, and felt that health and safety would be a great career opportunity,” said Mr Jones.
Careers Wales helped me research potential college courses and apply for ReAct funding, which I was accepted for.
“I’ve since completed an NVQ Level 2 in Health and Safety, and I’ve got a full time job with a local joinery company as a health and safety officer.
“I’m really enjoying my new role - I love the variety of the job.
“It’s something that I never thought I might be doing a couple of years ago.
“The help I had from Careers Wales was really important - they helped me get the training I needed to make my new a career a reality,” he added.