Louise was supported to return to college

Louise is a carer who was supported to go back to college by the Working for Carers programme in London.

About Louise

Louise is 38 and has four children, two of whom have a disability. Louise decided to give up her nursing degree to care for her children and has done so for the last 24 years. As her children have reached an age where they are more independent, Louise decided to pursue her dream of working in conservation and applied for a degree in this subject.

How did Working for Carers help?

Louise was offered an interview for her course but felt she needed additional help. After getting in touch with Working for Carers, she worked with her employment personal adviser on role-playing, interview preparation and researching the course.

She secured an offer but came up against another barrier – financial support. Her course was run at a private college and she could only secure a portion of funding from student finance. Louise’s adviser helped her to research possible grants and bursaries and they found one that offered discretionary first year funding. They then worked on the application together and prepared for another interview.

What was the result?

One month later Louise was informed she had qualified for the grant and she was awarded the difference in tuition fees, financial support for course materials and child care support for her youngest child. She started her degree course in conservation in 2017.

Identities of carers have been changed in the interest of privacy.

About Working for Carers

Working for Carers ran between October 2016 and June 2023 and was funded by the European Social Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund. The project supported unpaid carers in London to move into or closer to employment.