How do you get a better life in the UK if you are poor and unskilled?

Question

My partner works as a driver, he wants a skilled trade but cannot fund the retraining. We are not eligible for any help with college fees etc and can't get a career developement loan as we don't have a good credit rating.

As a result he cannot get a well paid job.

We can't emigrate as you have to have a skilled trade to be useful to another country.

So what can we do to have a better life? Is there any help for those like us?

He is a driver for ahire firm - he drives just cars and vans, he is not a lorry driver and does not have an HGV licence. He is on minimum wage and brings home £200 per week if we're lucky.

I'm not working at the moment as we have a 9 month old baby. I have degree but no skill

We've looked into him doing his HGV licence and the training and exams cost £2,500. We have no way of raising that money and cannot get help with the fees.

stormydays - sorry mate but we do know what we are talking about - Career Development Loans are provided by the high street banks and the refuse those with poor credit ratings. Been there done that got the T Shirt.

Answer 1

I left school without any education having been through the child care system. I am now a deputy manager in a residential home where I was able to do numerous courses and gain some valuable knowledge. I'm also a CPI trainer at work. So it is possible, its just finding a new career that is willing to train you up and give you opportunities to better your own personal developement. I also had a spell at the driving game, bikes and vans.

Answer 2

You may be looking at it from the wrong angle. Even if you got training you would be then competing with 18 year old out of training. A more realistic method though not an easy option is to decide what type of work he has an aptitude for. And try and get a job with a company that dose it as a mate or labour. If he shows willing and learns, and is capable then with a foot in the chosen industry, he could work his way up. An employer would see potential for his business.

Answer 3

From my own personal experience it is not easy but it can be done. It does help if you have a partner and work together as a team, as I'm sure you know.

I left school without any qualifications. My partner and I came to an arrangement. I worked to pay her way while she went through university and qualified as a lecturer. Then she financed me as a mature student. While we are not exactly rich our life is better than when I was a labourer on a building site - which was one of the jobs I did.

You might try somewhere like Coleg Harlech, which is a college for adults in Wales. Your partner might be eligible for a full bursary. I went to a similar place in Scotland.

http://www.harlech.ac.uk/

I sincerely hope this helps some. Good luck.

Answer 4

If you do what you have always done you will get what you have always got. There are three options open to you:

1.Your husband could stay at home and you could go to work. If he is earning minimum wage you can not earn any less then him and will probaly earn more once you get experriance because of your degree.

2. There are definatly free basic computer courses. He could do one of these and maybe move up to a supervisor who sorts the car routes out or get a job in a office which probaly pay more.

3. You could work full or part time and claim working tax credit towards the child care.

Answer 5

Try and get the money together to put him through a course for a 'site safety passport',this is only a day or 2 course and will help him to get into chemical sites all over the country. My husband did this for about 8 years,and worked as a 'mate'. Fitters mate,welders mate etc. I'ts pretty good money around £600-£800 a week depending on the firm and the hours. He might have to blag his way in to start with,and will have to work away when necessary. My hubby got into a firm who are training him to be a qualified pipe fitter,so it can be done. Good luck.

Answer 6

Lady,
By the number of Answer points you have, seems you have some PC/internet skills, so you should be able to do some of homework for your man yourself

Although I do admit, no man likes to be told by their lady "Look at these jobs and this and that web site for skills and traning and blah blah blah..."


First one would be to build on the skills he has.

Why not go for his HGV license - the pay does increase quite a bit. He may also try to get his operators license "O-License" form the VOSA. THis will allow him more specialised haulage - eg a freelance cement haulier can get GBP50,000 - GBP70,000 pa - long hours, but good money and you are kind of `your own` boss.

Or private chauffeur jobs? Late nights but may be better money, especially in the cities.

Also, the UK government does have a number of intiiatives at local and national level.

Citizen Advise Bureaux are good places to start. The try some of the govt schemes. This is NOT just a govt white-wash. The UK has a geniune need to up-skill its workforce as migrant labour for non-skilled jobs starts to increase to a point that outstrips the demand for jobs.

Also, can he ask his present employer for some form of on-the-job training - again governments are keen to support this with small businesses. If not, maybe worth finding a job with a company that will help out.
Simple fact is that it WONT be easy in the short term and he will have top put in work, time at courses after hours and weekends, study for exams (eeeerk, I know), read trade mags etc.

Face it, you dont get employer recognised skills at the pub or watching Sky-Sports.

Oh, and it will require a whole lot of dedication from him. Maybe some Self-Help style, you-can-do-it books from the library or on-line.

Also - try signing up to www.moneysavingexpert.com ... a kick-@ss web site for getting free stuff, cheap stuff and cutting back on expenses. Martin Lewis - consumer champion!

There is NO easy answer (especially on Y!A), but you have to get some good tips and a bucket full of guts to try.

but you can do it.

Good luck m 'dear
Brad M

(Links below if you haven't tried them already)

Answer 7

You may not have thought of this, but why not speak to the Citizens Advice Bureau ? They have loads of information at their fingertips about grants and eligibility, and career choices. Not as much as a Job Centre, but the people are more friendly and positive.

You don't say what work you do yourself. It is evident that you are well educated (unusual on YA) and can write. Don't laugh, but why not write an article - about 1,000 words - about the predicament you find yourselves in, and send it to The Guardian, or the New Statesman, or the Daily Mail or all three. Voices like yours should be heard, write it all down, and even if it's not published, you'll still have got something out of writing it. I'm serious - you have all the necessary skills and qualities to be a writer.

Answer 8

If you can't get a career development loan then you must be earning over £30K annually. What you wish to do depends on what your options are. English and Maths course up to GCSE standard are free to all British nationals, the open University is a modular system that has course from a few hundreds of pounds.

Adult Learning Grant (ALG) will pay you up to £30 per week if you did return to education, I appreciate this isn't a lot but it's better than nothing.

Answer 9

I'm surprised you can't get help with fees, I thought most colleges would give grants for people on low incomes. Try asking in your local library about adult education centres in your area, they often have government funded courses in things like I.T.

You could also try the Open University, when my husband was unemployed he was able to study for free - I know your husband does work, but if he is on a low wage, then hopefully they will be able to help.

Have you thought about maybe changing the roles you each have in the house? What I mean is, maybe he could be the 'stay at home' parent and you go out to work, if your earning potential is more than his?

I hope you manage to find a way to get the better life you deserve. xx

Answer 10

I'd say you two are in the position alot of British people are in this country. Floods of migrants are pouring into the UK both skilled and unskilled.

So how do YOU go about getting on?

I can see alot of good constructive advise from people on here, but are you really going to get taken on if an employer can employ a skilled tradesman/HGV driver etc from overseas for a less money? I seriously doubt it.
I have a degree but feel trapped working in a dead end factory job. Leave and I face agency work, competing with foreigners who will work for less money and lesser conditions. Stay I get nowhere!
Time for some creative thinking on our parts me thinks?