Career in Fabric Comes Full Circle

When Heather Dawson left school she went straight into the retail fabric trade, developing a successful career that spanned twenty years. Then, with the birth of her son, a change was needed as retail hours soon became unsuitable for raising a young family.

Seeking a better fit to balance the responsibilities of motherhood and work, Heather studied, retrained, and found work in the areas of teacher aiding, after school care, and eventually beauty therapy until she experienced an extended period of unemployment that took a toll on her self-esteem, and on her financial security: “I wasn’t very happy when I was on the benefit. I was in a really dark place because I didn’t know what to do to get myself out of financial stress.”

For Heather, one of the barriers to gaining employment was a hesitancy to work with computers. As is the experience of many people, Heather’s previous work environments did not feature digital devices in a big way.“I just needed a bit of guidance, because I’d never been exposed to computers before.” A pivotal moment came after she struggled with a short-lived computer-based position at a dental health clinic. “I just had to do something. I thought, ‘I don’t want to live like this for the rest of my life. And I’ve still got a few good work years in me. I wanted to be able to stand up and do it for myself, and come off the benefit. I didn’t want to be beholden to Work & Income forever.”
Heather asked her case manager at Work & Income to guide her towards some digital upskilling. She explains,“Before then, I had vehemently said I wasn’t going to do anything with computers, but then I realised that I needed to forget my fears, broaden my horizons and actually learn how to use them.”
Heather enrolled on the four-week Contact Centre training course at Capital Training, a free course delivered at the central Wellington campus, especially for Work & Income clients. The Contact Centre course prepares trainees for telephone-based customer service roles with large organisations. Although the programme’s focus is not basic computer skills training as Heather had been seeking, she decided to stick with it.
“I was out of my comfort zone in the first week. Computers weren’t for me. I hadn’t typed since I was 15! I even needed help just logging in. I was so far out of my comfort zone but I thought, actually that’s quite good, because you can get too comfortable sometimes.”
“The tutor was amazing; very patient, and helped me through. And then I started to find my feet, and I thought, ‘Actually, I’m not so thick on the computer after all. I can do this.’”

Heather says the course also lifted her confidence with interview skills - important because it had been a long time since she had interviewed for jobs. "Coming back as an older employee, it was quite good for me to find out what sort of things you will experience in a modern recruitment process. Previously, I’ve always walked into jobs - I’ve never had much trouble getting work. But having been out of it for a while, well, it’s a different ball game now”.

Through teamwork exercises, role-playing scenarios, and practice with taking phone calls, Heather explored her strengths and preferences, ultimately realising that perhaps a contact centre role wasn't for her. “I’m better face to face. It was actually really good to be able to try it, and see that’s not really what I wanted, or what I’m good at.”

Heather says she thrived in the welcoming environment of the Capital Training centre; “It was just an amazing experience to be a part of. There was about 12 or 15 of us in the class, all different backgrounds, and it was amazing. I absolutely loved it.”

“I had really nice classmates. I’m keeping in touch with a couple of them. The tutors were lovely and they follow up after you leave the course, to see how everything is going - which they said they would do - and that’s amazing. They are really helpful. When the course finishes, you don’t feel like you are just being cut off and let loose. There’s good follow-up.”

Following the course and empowered by her newfound skills and confidence, Heather embarked on a job search with renewed vigour. When an opportunity at a retail fabric outlet arose on TradeMe Jobs, she seized it with determination, working quickly to get her application in before the fast-approaching close-off date. Heather’s tenacity to secure the role even saw her sending her CV via mobile phone. “That in itself is a big thing for me”.

Now as a valued full-time member of the Moreland Fabrics team, Heather finds joy and fulfilment in her work. She assists customers with their fabric needs, from dress patterns to upholstery and furnishings, drawing on her earlier years of experience and her passion for helping others.
“It’s a big responsibility and I’ve had to learn the way the business owners want things done. I’ve been out of it 19 years but it’s kind of come back to me like it was just yesterday. It’s really good. It’s just the best thing ever, to have landed this role.”

Her confidence has soared, and she no longer feels bound to Work & Income for support. Instead, she revels in her independence and the sense of purpose her job brings, “My case manager has seen me since I got the job, and she can see a change in me. Work & Income supported me to go and buy clothes and shoes for the job, which set me up really nicely. Feeling worthwhile and having a purpose every day makes such a difference to how you feel.”

"This job ticks all my boxes and I‘m absolutely loving it. I haven’t cut fabric for 19 years but I’m bumping into reps that I dealt with, and customers that I served 19-20 years ago.”

Ultimately, Heather says the contact centre course did provide her with some basic computer skills to feel more comfortable with the tools required for her new job, “The course was great. I think because Capital Training are quite approachable sort of people, from the minute you walk though the door, you are in a safe environment. You’re out of your comfort zone, but it’s going to be okay. Everyone is very nice to deal with - very helpful.”

“It just gave me a confidence boost because after being out of work for a few years, you kind of lose yourself, and you just need someone to give you a bit of a boost and say, “‘Actually, you can do this’.”

Reflecting on her journey, Heather acknowledges the transformative power of stepping out of her comfort zone and embracing new opportunities. Through it all, she emerged stronger, happier, and more determined than ever to live life on her own terms.
“Everyone who is out of work for any length of time should go on that course because it is so valuable. It gives people a boost and shows them that there are other options out there if you are prepared to look outside.”

“You’re never too old to get back into work. I’m well. Sometimes I go home and my feet are killing me - that’s part of my job, standing on my feet all day - but I’m absolutely loving it. I’m happy, and I’m healthy, and I’m independent. That’s the biggest thing for me - I’m independent of Work & Income.”

“It’s lovely. I’ve really landed on my feet with this. The course just gave me that little boost of confidence to get out there and try again.”