A Durham City Homes tenant bounced back from redundancy to win an apprenticeship with the landlord and an internationally-recognised computing certificate.
Melanie Spedding, 47, of Ushaw Moor has just been awarded her European Computer Driving Licence, which certifies her computing proficiency.
The certificate is the icing on the cake for Spedding, who recently won an apprenticeship to train in business administration at Durham City Homes.
She said: “I became an involved tenant a couple of years ago and participated in meetings during the transfer of housing from the council to Durham City Homes.
“I was made redundant from my previous job and had been caring for my mum, so it was a good opportunity to get out of the house for a couple of hours a month.
“Then I saw the apprenticeship appear on Facebook and decided it was too good an opportunity to miss.
“I’ve been taken on by Durham City Homes for two years, during which I’ll be trained to do a variety of roles including reception work, administration and lettings amongst others.
“As well as giving me valuable new skills, my apprenticeship also leads to an NVQ qualification, so it’s a win-win situation.
“In order to make sure that I was able to work to the best of my ability, I signed up to do the European Computer Driving Licence.
“I’d previously only had basic computing skills, which were very much in need of updating, so I’m pleased to have now got my certificate.
“I’m hoping that my commitment and enthusiasm to learn will lead to a role working in housing after my apprenticeship, hopefully with Durham City Homes or a similar organisation.”
Future apprenticeship opportunities will be advertised on Durham City Homes’ website athttp://www.durhamcityhomes.co.uk/