'I look forward to going to work' - Getting help to return to the workplace
dailyrecord.co.ukThe past six years haven’t been easy for Cliff Davitt, 61, from Edinburgh. In 2014, he gave up work in a warehouse to care for his wife, Vivian, who had cancer.
He returned to work in 2017 after she died, but suffered a stroke two years later, which meant he was no longer physically fit enough for the job.“I was in a really dark place for a while and my confidence was at an all-time low,” Cliff admits. “You learn to live with your grief, but you never get over it.”Eventually Cliff was ready to return to work, but he was unsure of what he would be able to do. “I’d always done the same sort of job,” he says. “I’d never had an interview, and I didn’t have a CV.
I didn’t know what to do.”Cliff contacted Business in the Community’s Age at Work team who provide a suite of resources to help older jobseekers return to work or explore new roles, from online workshops on CVs, to searching for jobs online.
They also have a coffee club where people can share their experiences, and get tips, advice and support.“I had to do the courses online because of the pandemic, but they were really helpful and gave me confidence,” says Cliff. “The team also helped me write my CV and gave me interview tips, as well as arranged some work experience for me in a local Waitrose to improve my confidence. “And when a job came up in October 2021, I applied and got it.”Now, Cliff works at Waitrose’s Comeley Bank branch four days a week.
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk