FOR women who take time away from their jobs to bring up their families, getting back into the workforce can be a daunting task.

However Anne McCallum, from Clackmannanshire, has demonstrated that with the right training and approach it is possible to get back into the workforce.

When her three children were young, she often thought that working in a petrol station would be an ideal job.

Her sister had worked in a garage and enjoyed it and Anne thought that the nightshift would fit in well with the demands of bringing up a young family.

However, it was to be another 18 years before she secured a job at a garage in Dunblane.

Anne, from Tullibody, said: “When the children were small I was living in Grangemouth and I wasn’t in the frame of mind to travel long distances and with the cost of child care, I would have been financially worse off. When I spoke with the people at Triage Central Limited, I realised that I would be much better off in work and they helped me to get this job.

“Although I am now better off financially, the most important thing is that it’s made a huge difference to my life as I enjoy the social aspects of the job, particularly interacting with the people who come to the garage.

“My children have also been very supportive and getting back into work has really boosted my self confidence and given me a new purpose in life.” Lisa Morrison, performance manager, Triage Central Limited, who deliver the Work Programme on behalf of Working Links and Ingeus UK, said they were able to support Anne on her journey back into work by putting her through various training programmes.

She added: “Because Anne had not worked for such a long time, she had no IT skills so we were able to teach her how to use a computer to look for jobs. Prior to any interviews, we also helped prepare her beforehand to ensure she had the best possible chance of securing a job.”