Free skills course led to setting up my own business

Robert Salt, 44, from Stoke on Trent now runs his own business offering a wide variety of trade skills including plumbing, electrical work and tiling.

After years in full-time employment, Robert Salt found out he was being made redundant as a stores supervisor.

He was helped through the North Staffordshire Workforce Development Programme run by trade union UNITY through the North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership (NSRP).

The programme gave immediate and specific support to people facing redundancy in North Staffordshire, including funding free skills courses. Advantage West Midlands (AWM) contributed nearly £1.5million in funding and the programme was so successful it was run throughout the region by Unity under the name Better West Midlands.

A colleague heard about the programme being run by Unity and they came to visit everyone facing redundancy on the shop floor, offering advice and information on how they could help.

Robert said: “I’ve always done my own DIY so I decided to take the courses that would give me the skills and confidence I needed to start up on my own. I enjoyed them so much I decided to go further and am now taking electrical qualifications at college.”

Robert took free plumbing, tiling and central heating courses at the Construction Skills College. He said: “They were only short courses but they were extremely useful. A lot of the tutors are actually still working in the trades so they were right up to the minute with the advice they were giving. They also really helped with business skills, such as how to prepare quotes.

“I’ve gradually been building up my business and, although at times I have just been waiting for the phone to ring, I have never wanted to go back and find work with some other company. This way, the only person who can make me redundant is me.

“It’s definitely worth giving the programme a try.”