Raquel Beardsall

Originally from Brazil, Raquel moved to Kenya at the age of 11 where she attended an English speaking boarding school. Whilst there she was diagnosed as being dyslexic and eventually left to work on a nearby farm.

Four years ago Raquel moved to England where she met her husband, and started working as a support worker in a local residential home. Wanting to progress in her new found career, she eventually contacted VTS to enquire about starting an NVQ in care.

Because of her dyslexia Raquel was very apprehensive about returning to education, and needed reassurance that her learning difficulties would not be a barrier to her achieving her qualification.

To overcome these difficulties Raquel's assessor provided additional support to ensure that she understood each of the unit elements, and the evidence she was being asked to produce. When necessary questions were read out to Raquel and her answers recorded, and any documents required could be reprinted using alternative fonts and paper colours. With the additional help she was receiving, Raquel soon fell into a routine, and the frequency of her unit achievements increased.

By the end of her course her new found confidence was apparent for all her work colleagues to see, and within a few months she had earned a promotion to senior career. Raquel has now returned to VTS to start her level 3 NVQ and hopes to complete in 2006.

‘VTS gave me the support I needed to overcome my learning difficulties and gain an NVQ. My self confidence has grown so much and I have been promoted to a position I never though I would reach'.